


the thin line between love and hate

by AnnyGomez



Category: (여자)아이들 | (G)I-DLE
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Angst, Comedy, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/F, Fluff, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-14
Updated: 2021-02-07
Packaged: 2021-03-07 02:33:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 61
Words: 133,460
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26465722
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnnyGomez/pseuds/AnnyGomez
Summary: High School was the same old cliché, with their groups of nerds, theater kids, cheerleaders and jocks. The only thing that was out of the norm was the hatred the captain of the basketball team and the head cheerleader had for one another.
Relationships: Seo Soojin/Yeh Shuhua
Comments: 486
Kudos: 1258





	1. Chapter 1

That morning was busy, the exams were happening in a few days so the round tables on the cafeteria were full of people eating while surrounded by books and classmates/friends to study with, it was unusual to see everyone like this but most has at least one history and math exams and their teachers aren't exactly known for being kind. 

"It's kinda quiet today" Minnie was the first to speak before taking a sip from her soda, watching the other girls trying to focus on what's on their books but not without glaring at the older for the annoying and loud slurping noise.

"Please don't jinx-" 

There's a loud crashing sound followed by a high pitched scream and the group sighs in defeat.

"It's Shuhua and Soojin" They heard from another table. 

" _ Again?! _ " From the table behind them.

"OOh they're at it again" It came from the girls in the front. 

The door of the cafeteria were slammed open by Yeh Shuhua who dodged just in time the white sneaker thrown in her direction by Seo Soojin with all her fury. 

"You're crazy!" The girl yelled at the cheerleader who was now hopping in her direction in one foot, considering throwing her other shoe at the basketball player. 

"You're an asshole!" The blonde replied, now taking her other shoe and throwing it at the younger who was able to catch it before it hit a random student that had nothing to do with their fight.

Soyeon, Yuqi, Minnie and Miyeon watched their fighting with tired faces, it wasn't the first time this happened, the two girls couldn't be in the same place without arguing; Shuhua couldn't stop herself from annoying Soojin who would always end up throwing something at her and escalating the whole argument. 

It's been like this since they first met and they don't think it's ever gonna change. 


	2. Chapter 2

Yeh Shuhua and Seo Soojin never got along since day one, they were too different to work, ironically their closest friends got along and befriended each other very well and so both of them were forced to be near each other almost all the time, even more once two of them started to date. Miyeon still remembers how upset Soojin was when she told her about how she was dating Minnie who was called a traitor by Shuhua as soon as she found out she was going out with Miyeon; The group didn't know what exactly made them hate each other, they just did and eventually they got used to the dynamic of Shuhua saying something, Soojin getting upset cue to fighting. Today was no different, if anything this was a brand new show for new students while everyone else just watched on their seats like it was part of their routine to have the head cheerleader trying to smack the basketball player with her shoes; Of course their friends were trying their best to separate them as Soojin started to get physical, well she tried to, But Shuhua was holding her wrists while they were arguing. 

"Enough! Enough! This is the third time today!" 

"But it's the first time you actually threw a shoe at her" 

"Don't make it sound like an encouragement" 

Both girls were made to sit down by the round table, on opposite sides, and were glaring at each other right away as the other girls sat down with heavy sighs all around while Soojin was putting back her shoes. 

"Is this what having children feels like?" Miyeon complained. "then I don't think I want them- ah!" Minnie slaps her arm. "Of course I want kids, especially with you baby!" She corrected right away. 

"Okay, this is getting ridiculous" Soyeon said "It's time you two start to get along or at least tolerate each other" 

"Soyeon-"

"Unnie-"

"No! This is getting way out of hand!" She interrupted both who quickly got quiet. "Okay, why don't you tell us why you two dislike each other so much?"

They stare at each other, Soojin frowns as she tries to think back of what made her hate the basketball player in the first place, meanwhile Shuhua looked back at her with the coldest stare ever, it could be intimidating but somehow that just made Soojin just as annoyed as her obnoxious smirk; Yuqi laughs at the stare contest both are having right now.

"You two don't even remember what made you hate each other anymore" She pointed out "At this point you guys are just being petty" 

"Shuhua hates me because my talent intimidates her" Soojin said crossing her arms and the younger actually laughs at that. "It's pretty obvious you know; You can't handle my success" 

"Well then I know why Soojin hates me as well," Shuhua said, also crossing her arms. "She's sexually frustrated"

"Wha-!"

"Actually I think she's sexually attracted to me, but she doesn't know how to handle that so she gets angry" she turns to the blonde "Don't worry a lot of people think I'm very attractive" 

"Who thinks you're attractive?! You look like you're 10!" Soojin threw fries from Miyeon's plate at the younger much to the older's displeasure who gasps devastated to see her food being wasted like this. "How did you even get a date with your stinky hair" 

Minnies groans covering her face. ' _ oh no she talked about her hair _ '

"Excuse me?!" The basketball player stood up as she points at Soojin "My hair is ten times healthier than yours who I can hear yelling for help after all that hair dye" 

"Honestly I just want to lock them together until they get along" Soyeon said, looking at Yuqi who was eating and enjoying the two girls yelling at each other but then she gasps at the other's words, almost choking on her food while soyeon quickly pats her back. " What? What?"

"Let's do that!"

"Do what?" Minnie asked, also ignoring the  _ still  _ fighting duo right next to them.

"Lock them up, leave them there until they get along" Yuqi said. "If they're forced to stay together then they're bound to find something they don't hate about each other"

"Or they'll kill each other for real" Miyeon adds "Have you seen Soojin's nails? She can do a lot of damage" 

It was wonderful how they could plan this right to shuhua and soojins faces because they would get so focused on insulting each other and ignore everything else. 

"I think is worth to try, we can even check on them to make sure they are still alive"

"I mean, we really don't have anything to lose," Soyeon encouraged. "That also means 5 minutes of silence" 

It took a lot to make them stop bickering, some excuses were made, so both girls were dragged out of the cafeteria with similar confused looks on their faces while the group of friends just wanted to have some peace and quiet for once.

"Where are we going?" Shuhua asked again, Minnie was covering her eyes while Miyeon did the same with Soojin. "why are my eyes closed?"

"Oh my god shut up" Soojin finally said. "Why are you so loud?!"

"Excuse me! If this was a kidnapping would you stay quiet?" Shuhua talked back "This is why cheerleaders are the first ones to die in movies" 

"You-"

"We're here!" Soyeon announced opening the janitor's closet while Minnie and Miyeon made sure the bickering girls got in there. "You can open your eyes now" 

They did and both were confused as they stared at the group of girls in front of them and wondering why they were put beside each other like that, Shuhua moved to the side once she felt her arm brush against Soojin's who moved further away as well; Soojin sighs as she looks at the girls.

"What are you guys planning?"

"It's for your own good"

"What-" The door was slammed shut and Shuhua was quick to slam her fist on it. "Hey! You guys can't lock me in here with the devil" 

"You guys can leave once you have something nice to say about each other" Soyeon replied from the other side.

"This is ridiculous!" Soojin said "Shuhua has no qualities" of course they are now indirectly insulting each other.

"I'm sure you guys can think of something!" They heard Yuqi said. "I'm sure you'll thank us for this one day" 

"Yuqi I regret all the times I paid for your ice cream!" Shuhua yelled "I can't believe yall forced me back into the closet!" 

Nothing. Silence, they left. 

"Guys!" Soojin called but no answer. The two looked at each and quickly looked away, grumpy. "This is all your fault, if you behaved like a normal person we wouldn't fight" 

"Me? You're the crazy one who throws things at people every time you're upset, thank god you never had a knife on your hand or I would be dead by now!" Shuhua ranted. 

"What are we supposed to even do inside a dark, janitor closet?" The blonde asked, annoyed at the lack of space inside there. 

"Well, You see…" Shuhua started with a smirk "In porn-" Soojin pushes her against the wall, making Shuhua yelp at the impact only to bounce back on the blonde who also hit the wall behind her, making her yelp as well. "Girl are you dumb?! Why did you push me! there's no space here!" 

"It's what you deserve for being weird!" Soojin replied "This is why we don't get along- ouch! my foot!" She complained when she felt the younger stepping on her and being as petty as Soojin was she quickly stomped on the girl's foot as well.

"Ah Fu- Heck! I didn't do it on purpose!" She defended herself "You're so aggressive oh my god" 

It was gonna be a long afternoon for the both of them. 


	3. Chapter 3

It was chaos.

After some teachers heard Soojin and Shuhua loudly arguing inside the janitor's closet, they were released and without fail both girls were sent to the principal's office alongside their group of friends for locking up the girls in there and so they had to endure, in silence, a long speech about behaving properly for the following 20 minutes. 

The principal was more than familiar with the situation between Yeh Shuhua and Seo Soojin, having the girls inside his office wasn't surprising at all; It was a known fact both girls have been hating and fighting each other for the past 2 years and the school staff never once wished for two students to graduate as soon as possible as they did for Shuhua and Soojin, thinking the only way to have some peace and quiet would be for when they graduate.

After being told to leave by the principal, the group bowed before leaving in silence, which only lasted until they were in the empty hallway, Yuqi notices something about Soojin and smirks mischievously as the joke forms inside her head.

"Soojin unnie, You're limping" She pointed out and everyone looked at the older. "Damn Shuhua what did you do to her inside the janitor's closet-" 

"Shut up" Both girls said, annoyed.

"As if I would ever touch her" Shuhua said "I have a specific taste and she's not a part of the menu"

"Excuse me, you're the one who's not good enough for me" Soojin replied. "I usually date people that went through puberty!" 

And so they are fighting again and Miyeon, Minnie and Soyeon all slap Yuqi on the back of the head for teasing them into another argument that ruined their 5 seconds of peace. 

It wasn’t like Yuqi enjoyed seeing her friends fight, she just believed that their issues would only get resolved if they just confronted it head on, but now realizing that the only thing those two can do when near each other is just fight more and more until one of them, it’s usually Soojin, starts to throw things in rage so they eventually have to be kept apart from each other. 

Yuqi knew Shuhua since middle school and never in those years she ever saw her best friend get angry, if she did it was silent, cold and you could tell in her eyes when you did something that had angered her, and even then her words weren't loud, firm but she wasn't the type to raise her voice and making you feel bad. Yuqi always jokes that an upset Shuhua sounds like a disappointed father lecturing their child.

But that changed when it comes to Soojin, ever since their hatred for each other started, she saw a part of the girl she never saw before, one capable of yelling, provoking and mocking; There was just something that kept her from not reacting towards the cheerleader who, despite saying otherwise, would also start the arguments every time she saw the Basketball player. 

As for Soojin, when she wasn't around Shuhua, she was quiet, polite and for most people's surprise, the charismatic head cheerleader was quite shy. The type of girl who never raised her voice until of course, a certain taiwanese was involved.

"I thought if you two were locked together-" Yuqi starts but Shuhua, who's walking right behind her, interrupts.

"What? You thought we would magically get along?" Shuhua asked "The first thing she did was attack me"

"I didn't attack you! You were being weird" Soojin defended herself, Miyeon and Minnie were between the bickering duo so the blonde leaned forward to look at the younger girl. "Also you stomped on my foot"

"It was an accident! It's a cramped room!" Shuhua defended herself "You're the one who's violent for no reason!" 

"Can we please have 5 minutes of silence?" Soyeon asked, walking on the very front. "It's all I ask. Some silence, where the both of you aren't yelling or trying to choke each other" She looks at Shuhua and then at Soojin. 

"Hey! I never tried to choke anyone, That's Soojin's kink not mine" Shuhua said and Miyeon had to stop the blonde from reaching out to Shuhua and try to grab her. 

"Stop, Stop-" 

Thankfully, They didn't share most of their classes together; The girls had a feeling the staff was actively keeping the two girls apart from each other as much as possible, however math classes was one of the classes they were together, alongside minnie who sadly had to sit near them, But for most part they stayed in silence and ignored each other in classes with the exception of the rare moments where their eyes would meet and they would make disgusted faces at each other or mutter insults. 

"I wish Miyeon was here" Minnie muttered after a sigh as she noticed that they were insulting each other under their breath again. Shuhua looked at Minnie. 

"wow am I not enough company?" 

"Miyeon is just better than you in all aspects," Soojin replied. "Minnie is just too nice to say that to your face" 

"Excuse me didn't you called Miyeon stupid for dating Minnie?" Shuhua said. 

Before Soojin could reply, Minnie interrupted them. "Don't start this in the middle of class, please" 

They stopped, knowing that if they kept going they would end up getting into detention, and as much as it doesn't look like it, Shuhua was very worried about her school performance and she actually managed to stay away from detentions despite her constant fights with Soojin who had one or two detentions this year, mostly because of her tendency to physically attack the basketball player 'out of nowhere'. 

"Miyeon and I have been together for 8 months now" Minnie says as she picks up her stuff once class is over, Shuhua and Soojin stand there waiting for her.

"I'm so sorry you have to endure her," Shuhua said, smirking at how Minnie glared at her because of that comment.

"I meant this as, I wanna do something for her!" 

"You expect Shuhua to get that?" Soojin asked "She has the emotional range of a rock" 

“I’m a romantic in my own way” The other replied. “You can’t talk about emotional range when all you do is yell and throw things”

“I-”

“Anyways-” Minnie interrupted “I wanna do something special… maybe a walk by the park, around the lake-”

“Terrible idea” Shuhua said; Both girls stared at her “There’s geese there, you want to celebrate around those evil looking things? What if they try to eat Miyeon?”

“Everytime you open your mouth, I feel like slapping you! It’s honestly a talent at this point” Soojin said as they walked out of class and Minnie sighs.

“I’ll just ask Soyeon…”

“What does she know? Soyeon doesn’t even date anyone” Shuhua protested, crossing her arms as they walked, Soojin was on the older’s left side while Shuhua on her right side to avoid being near each other. Soojin chuckles.

“And you do?”

“That’s none of your business, Seo Soojin!”

“Soyeon doesn’t turn my date plans into arguments to other people” Minnie pointed out as they kept on walking but suddenly frown as they realize Shuhua stopped following them and was now standing still looking at something, a poster, against the wall of the hallway, it seemed to catch her interests and so they went back to where she was standing.

“There’s open auditions for the school’s play” Shuhua said, looking at Minnie who smiles softly, She knows the younger loved acting and wasn’t surprised something like this would catch her attention right away; Meanwhile Soojin was confused as to how that was any interesting.

“So what? You’re not planning to audition right?”

Shuhua smirked and Soojin could already feel herself getting annoyed again; It was always that smirked that made her want to push the girl. 

“Why not?”

“Since when you’re an actress, dumbass?”

“That’s the best part, if you can’t tell when I’m acting it means I’m doing a good job” She crosses her arm, confident. “Who knows, Maybe I have been acting and you don’t even know” They hear the bell rang “And that’s my cue! I have chemistry right now”

Soojin looked at Minnie and then back at the younger girl who was walking away, no not walking she didn’t walk, she had the terrible habit, in Soojin’s option, to strut across school like she owns the building; She frowns as she wonders what in the world Shuhua’s words meant.

What was she acting?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was fighting the urge to sleep while writing this so I apologize for any mistakes.


	4. Chapter 4

"How could you betray me like this?!" Miyeon asks, staring at Minnie in pure disbelief, one hand over her chest as she stared at her girlfriend, Minnie tried to speak but was interrupted "And with Shuhua of all people! You know how I consider her our first child!" 

"I couldn't help it!" Minnie said.

"It was just a one time thing, get over it" Shuhua said from her seat. "Also I'm not your child. We talked about this" 

"Get over it?! After you two break my heart like this?!"

Soojin stares at the scene in confusion as she sits down by the table and leans towards Yuqi and Soyeon in silence before asking.

"What's going on?" 

Soyeon stares at the blonde. "Minnie and Shuhua killed Miyeon on Among Us"

"Oh" 

They watched as Minnie was showering a grumpy Miyeon with kisses as she apologized for "killing" her after saying she, and Shuhua, was innocent; As for Shuhua, the girl was reading something in a paper, so focused she didn't even bothered making her daily mean comments to Soojin when she sit down to eat together and so the table was unusually quiet, ignoring the lovey dovey couple near them.

"Can you two stop?" Yuqi asks, Looking at Miyeon and Minnie "We're trying to eat"

"You guys have no respect for our love" Minnie said, still hugging Miyeon who has her arm wrapped around the girl's shoulder. "You'll be just like us when you start dating"

"Ha!" Soojin laughs "I doubt I'll be like Miyeon" She said, noticing how the older looks offended "You can't have a conversation without finding a way to shove Minnie's name in it" She accused "I don't see myself doing that at all" 

"Someone will need to deal with your terrible personality if they want to date you" Shuhua comments without moving her eyes from what she's reading. "I seriously pity whoever decides they want  _ you  _ of all people to be their girlfriend"

"I pity the person who has to smell your hair everyday" Soojin said back, but the girl didn't reply and so the cheerleader frowned at the silence "Hey!"

"Huh?" Shuhua looks up "You said something?"

That annoyed her even more than if she had said another snarky comeback, Soojin believes that the girl had to be doing that on purpose, she wasn't going to believe those big eyes filled with fake innocence. 

"What are you reading?" Yuqi asks before Soojin can say anything. 

"I'm preparing for my audition so I'm reading the script!" The girl said with a big smile. "Oh, Yuqi! Act with me"

"No, No way!" The chinese girl quickly backed away "Not after last time!"

"Come on that was in middle school!" Shuhua insisted "When will you let it go?"

"What happened last time?" Soojin asked, curious and everyone stared at Shuhua waiting for answers. 

"Yuqi is sensitive-"

"I'm not! You're the one who was way into the character!" She looks at the group "I was supposed to help her with a fight scene and when it was time for her to be angry, she screamed at me, like actually yelled at me and-"

"Yuqi stared at me for a long 10 seconds," Shuhua said, then laughed as she started to remember. "then she started to cry" Soyeon and Soojin both covered their mouths to stop themselves from laughing as they pictured little Yuqi in tears over a fake fight. Meanwhile Miyeon and Minnie were having the time of their life and wouldn't stop laughing.

"That's not funny! I was caught off guard"

"I had to hug her and remind her that it wasn't a real fight" Shuhua pointed out between laughs, she pats Yuqi's back who slaps her hand away before crossing her arms, now getting grumpy. Soyeon reaches for the girl and squeezes her cheek.

"You're so  _ cute _ !" Soyeon said, laughing even more when the younger moved away complaining she wasn't cute.

“I’m sure you’ll do great in your auditions, Shuhua” Miyeon said, looking at the girl like a proud mother, meanwhile Shuhua quickly looked away, she was never capable of holding Miyeon's gaze when she looked at her like that. "Won't she, babe?" She turns to Minnie who nods, looking just as proud. 

"If you want helping acting, I'm available" It was Soyeon who said "Since Yuqi is so sensitive"

"Hey!" The girl complained.

"You guys are babying her too much," Soojin finally said, calmly eating. "It's a school play, Shuhua doesn't deserve that much praise" 

Miyeon chuckles and the blonde looks at her.

"What?" 

"I think you're jealous SooSoo-" The older poked her cheek and the younger quickly slapped her hand away. "Jealous you're not the baby of the group anymore" 

"I'm not-"

"When is Soojin not jealous of me" Shuhua said, the script put aside and now her attention was all on the cheerleader, who groaned. "Honestly, it's getting obvious, either you want me or you want to be me" 

"The day any of those things happen, Hell will be frozen" 

"Don't be shy, Seo Soojin. A lot of girls want me" Shuhua proudly say "Even the cheerleaders despite you scolding them"

Not a scold. Soojin had  **_threatened_ ** the cheerleader squad to stay away from Shuhua, no friendship, no flirting and definitely no dating, of course that never stopped their heart eyes and dreamy sighs when the basketball player passed by, with a sweet smile and a polite bow sent in their direction, which had Soojin lecturing the girls several times for staring at Shuhua, knowing the girl was doing that on purpose to distract them from practice.

Of course, Soyeon, despite being part of the cheerleader squad -only because Soojin only wanted to become one if Soyeon went with her- was the exception, in a way. Everyone knows how she treats Shuhua, even if knowing how it makes Soojin annoyed every time she sees the girl babying Shuhua for no reason. 

"I have more girls than you" Soojin said, without thinking twice, her competitive side speaking louder than anything else, but her sentence caught everyone off guard, especially Shuhua who looked at her with wide eyes not knowing how to answer. The silence is filled by Minnie.

"That's kinda gay of you to say not gonna lie" 

"Do you have something to say to us, Soo?" Miyeon asks, holding her hand. 

"I meant it as more girls are into me!" Soojin said, feeling her face burn at the misunderstanding while Shuhua and Yuqi start laughing; Soyeon disguises her laughing by eating her food in silence. "Shut up! Shut up! Stop laughing!" She stood up, grabbing Shuhua by her shirt, but that didn't stop the younger from still giggling.

"Okay, Let go," Soyeon said, pulling Soojin back while Shuhua also sat back, now trying and failing not to laugh. "You have to calm down" She looked at Soojin who looked offended.

"Me?! She-"

"And Shuhua, less teasing!" She also lectures the younger who just shrugs with a smile. 

"I make no such promises" 

It was fun for Shuhua to make Soojin so upset, The girl was usually so quiet and polite but all she needed to do was to provoke her a bit and suddenly she was yelling and ready to beat her up and the sudden change on her behavior was hilarious for Shuhua, But besides that there was nothing interesting about Seo Soojin, She doesn't get how that girl even made friends when she looks bored by everything and anyone and she fully believed her most outstanding qualities was her looks. 

But she could admit she didn't know enough about the girl she hates, she never felt the need to because what she knew was enough for her to realize that she wanted Soojin as far away as possible, which sadly wouldn't be the case with their friends being friends, and two of them dating; She was glad Minnie was so happy with Miyeon but part of her wished they never started to date in the first place and made Seo Soojin a part of her everyday life.

**.**

**.**

**.**

"Have you seen Soyeon?" Soojin asks, approaching Miyeon who was sitting by the bleachers, watching the basketball team's practice, well, watching Minnie practice. "I haven't seen her after lunch," said, following the older's gaze and seeing Minnie playing with the others. 

"Nope, She just vanished" 

"You think that she's somewhere with Yuqi? Those two are always together"

"Who's always together?"

Both girls jump on their spot hearing Yuqi's voice out of nowhere,she was wearing her gym clothes, waiting for the basketball team to end practice before her classes start, drinking from a bottle of water.

“Please warn us before scaring us!” Soojin complained. 

“Hey have you seen Shuhua?” The chinese girl asked, taking another sip. 

“No, we didn’t. Thank god” Soojin replied right away.

“Minnie said Shuhua was off doing her captain duties or something,” Miyeon explained. “Which means she’s likely going around trying to convince people to join the basketball team once some of the members graduate this year”

“That sounds boring,” Yuqi said. 

“Not as boring as sitting down watching someone else play” Soojin said and both of them looked at Miyeon.

“Hey! I’m giving my girlfriend emotional support!”

“It’s basketball practice, Miyeon. It ain’t that deep” Yuqi said, mostly joking. 

“My girlfriend needs lots of validation, Leave her alone!” 

It wasn’t a lie, Minnie loved compliments and Miyeon was the one who shower others with compliments, it was a match made in heaven, Yuqi wasn’t surprised at all when they announced their relationship to the group, unlike Shuhua and Soojin who reacted like they have announced someone’s death. 

“By the way, Yuqi have you seen Soyeon?” Soojin asks, staring at the younger.

“She’s by the auditorium helping the theater kids with the scenario for the school play”

“She’s  _ what _ ?!”

“She’s by the auditorium helping-”

“I heard you the first time!” Soojin said, annoyed. “I’ll go after her before we get late for our practice!”

It was always like this, No matter how busy Soyeon was, she would always end up helping someone else as soon as they asked, Saying no wasn't a word in her vocabulary and sometimes people took advantage of her being too kind and that's where Soojin comes in to set limits, to others and to Soyeon; The theater kids, she found out in her first week at school, could be sneaky bastards when they wanted and always end up dragging someone into the auditorium to do their job for them.

She arrived by the auditorium, the place was huge but she saw Soyeon by the stage, however for her displeasure, Shuhua was also there and both were talking, sitting in front of each other, without realizing the head cheerleader was walking towards them, already mentally preparing herself to interact with the younger girl who annoys her much.

"I have to confess my feelings for you" Soojin froze where she was as she heard the basketball player's words, who was holding Soyeon's hands between her own. Soojin couldn't stop herself from turning red, both from annoyance at what was going on, hating the idea of the little rascal coming for her best friend, but also because she felt embarrassed for seeing this type of affection displayed in front of her. "Because I love-"

"What the fuck are you two doing?" Soojin said without thinking, turning redder when both Shuhua and Soyeon looked at her, so casual like she didn't just walk in on their confession, or whatever that was. 

"I'm helping Shuhua with her script" Soyeon replied, like it was obvious and the head cheerleader felt a wave of relief hit her with those words, however when she looks at Shuhua who's staring at her with that smirk of hers, she knows that the younger knows what she was thinking. "She needs someone to practice you know-"

"Yeah, Yeah. Sure, whatever! But we have practice in a few minutes" Soojin replied, wanting to get out before the basketball player decided to say something that made her even more embarrassed. "Let's go already" 

"I'll help you later, Shuhua," Soyeon said before Soojin grabbed her by her hand and dragged her away from there. Shuhua smiles and waves at her.

"Thanks unnie and Seo Soojin!" They stopped and looked at the girl. "Get your mind out of the gutter"

Soojin flipped her off. 


	5. Chapter 5

Soojin was kind, polite and gentle.

She was also petty. 

There are things she does specifically to annoy Shuhua, it was fun to see that smug smile of hers vanish once she's annoyed, especially when she knows she's the reason behind her mood shift. 

So that morning wasn't very different as she was walking down the hallway along Soyeon and Miyeon, the latter was already texting her girlfriend; Soojin carried a poster on her hands which quickly catch Soyeon's attention who points at the paper on her hands.

"What is that?" 

"Oh, Nothing. Don't worry about it" Soojin said and that was enough to make Soyeon suspicious. Soojin was in a good mood that morning and isn't like she was the moody type but she also wasn't the type to come everyday to school with such a bright smile on her lips so Soyeon could only assume something happened.

"Did Hui finally ask you out?" She asked, trying to find the source of that happiness but the girl rolled her eyes, still smiling.

"No. Not yet at least" She said. "This has nothing to do with boys, Soyeon"

"Thank god" The smaller girl said "Then why are you so happy?"

"Oh-"

"Girls!" Miyeon said "I gotta go see Minnie now"

"We just walked into school can't you go 5 minutes without seeing her?" Soyeon asked, but much to her surprise Soojin's smile was wider.

"I'll go with you, unnie" 

"You… will?" Miyeon asked, confused while Soojin nodded. "Why…?"

"Yeah why?" 

"Do I need a reason to see our friends?" Soojin asked, acting offended and Miyeon frowned.

"You know we're going to see the basketball team right?"

"Yeah"

"And Shuhua is there"

"Yes, I know"

"What are you planning to do?" Soyeon finally asked. "I just know is something to annoy her, so spill" 

"Soyeon you think so low of me"

"I have to. You keep surprising me, last time you threw your shoes at her" The girl explained as they followed Miyeon around to find Minnie.

"That was in the past"

"That was yesterday"

In the meantime, Minnie was sitting by the bench, caressing her knee while she watched the team train under Shuhua's supervision as the couch left to talk to the principal about their routine; Shuhua was a soft, almost child-like friend but her captain self was nothing like that, ever since they became part of the same team, she realized how much of a hardworking perfectionist Shuhua is, Minnie doesn’t think she was ever satisfied with was being done until she thought it was perfect so training was ruthless, but of course that means Victory to their team by the end of the year and of course, that was one of the reasons she became the captain.

But she had to admit that captain Shuhua was a bit scary, and intimidating to look at. Even right now, she wasn’t practicing and yet she was seeing how focused the girl was, making sure everyone was doing their routine properly with this look in her eyes that sure gave her a scary unnie vibe.

Minnie felt arms wrapped around her shoulders and neck and looked up and saw Miyeon with her bright smile looking down to her before giving her a kiss, which made Soojin and Soyeon who were right to the eldest, make disgusted noises at the display of affection. 

"Eww, can you not do that with us here" Soyeon said, quick kisses were okay but she didn't want to see them kiss like that in front of her; As for Soojin, her eyes were quick to focus on Shuhua, surprised by her serious mode as she told the other girls what they were doing wrong and how to fix it, Soojin had to admit she was a good captain, but of course she wasn't going to say that outloud. 

Then their eyes met.

The older expected the usual, her playful gaze and cocky smirk that she hated so much, but all she got was the cold stare before the captain looks away and focus on her team, Soojin bites her bottom lip, annoyed yet again at that but knows that sooner or later she's going to get back at the girl.

"Shuhua looks like she's in a bad mood" Miyeon said, and Soojin looks back at them, surprised by how fast Miyeon went from hugging Minnie from behind to sitting on her lap. "Did something happen?" 

"Oh don't worry about it, that's how she usually is in training" Minnie said, watching as Shuhua was now looking at them, deciding to finally approach her friends with her hands on her waist. 

"Minnie, I gave you a break to rest your knee and not to make out with your girlfriend!" The girl said, making Minnie blush and hide her face on Miyeon's hair. 

"Shuhua, be nice to her!" Miyeon whines as she turns to the side to hug the girl. "She looks so tired"

"Yeah, that's what the break is for" She turns to Soyeon and Soojin "What are you two doing here?"

"Hello to you too, good morning by the way!" Soyeon replied, making Shuhua roll her eyes but smile softly at her. 

"Sorry, didn't mean to sound rude to you" then she points at Soojin "But to you I did"

"Please, You'll make me blush showing so much love to me" Soojin replied, but then smiled so sweetly Shuhua felt a little scared "Actually I have news to say to you guys"

"Yeah?" Soyeon looked at her, still not trusting whatever she was gonna say.

"Since everyone is here-"

"Yuqi literally isn't here," Shuhua said, knowing that by this time her best friend was most likely running for her life to get to school in time.

"You can tell her later, anyways," She shows them the poster she has in her hands, Shuhua quickly perks up, noticing it was the poster for the school play. "The theater kids have given me the lead role for the play, ain't that awesome?" She asks, smiling; It wasn't the truth, obviously, she wasn't given anything and had to use her position as head cheerleader to basically threaten them into giving them the lead role.

The lead role. 

The role she knew Shuhua wanted and by the way she saw the shocked expression on her face, she smirked at her. Satisfied from getting a reaction which didn't take long until Shuhua silently walked away in a hurried pace with tears in her eyes, ignoring the others calling her for her. 

"Why would you do that?!" Miyeon asked.

"I knew you were up to something but this is ridiculous"

"Oh come on, don't overreact girls" Soojin crossed her arms. 

"We're not overreacting" Minnie said, standing up and trying not to grunt at the pain on her knee "We all know how Shuhua wanted this, Don't you think this is going off limits?" 

"It's just a dumb school play"

"So what? Is important to her!" Miyeon said "I can't believe you're this petty, you better go after her and apologize!"

"What?! I'm not apologizing!"

And that's how Soojin end up making her way to the auditorium to apologize to Shuhua for her actions, but not before being lectured by Minnie, Miyeon and Soyeon and eventually Yuqi who came up distressed for seeing Shuhua making her way to the auditorium with tears in her eyes. 

Soojin found the girl by the stage, reading what was supposed to be her script, she was quite obsessed in making sure everyone was perfect. The cheerleader cringes at the idea of apologizing to her enemy just like that but would rather not have to deal with the girls taking Shuhua's side. 

"Hey, Yeh Shuhua" She looks back at Soojin, eyes still red and Soojin feels herself blush from embarrassment knowing she has to start apologizing by now. "About early-"

"Oh yeah, congrats on getting the role"  _ huh? _

"What" 

"Yeah, Good luck with the role"

"You were upset about that just a few minutes ago!" Soojin replied, having no idea what was going on.

"Oh, the crying? I was just flexing my acting skills" 

Soojin gasps, in shock that the girl was this much of a liar and of course, Soojin being her hot headed self -only with Shuhua- tries to choke her again, this time she wanted to choke Shuha for making everyone turn against her thinking the girl had hurt their ‘precious baby.’

"Come on, back at it again with your kink?" Shuhua laughs trying to stop Soojin "I'm not into that you know" 

"You're such a snake!"

"I mean, yeah. It's my hogwarts house-"

"Shut up!"

"Don't keep making conversation then!" Shuhua held Soojin's arms against her sides to stop the girl from trying to hit her. "Come on, we'll be theater buddies from now on. Trying to kill me every chance you get isn't good"

"I'm going to kill- wait, theater buddies? I'm not going to actually take your role you know" She said, mostly so Shuhua won't go whining to Soyeon yet again. 

Shuhua smirks and Soojin is this close to beating her up.

"It seems we'll be acting together,  _ Soojin-Unnie _ "

“Are you deaf, cause-”

“No, dumbass; What I mean is, your name along with the other people that are part of the play was already sent to the principal… I made sure of that” The younger replied with a smile and Soojin thinks that for a hot second she was going to kill the girl.

“Why the fuck would you do that?!”

“You have to do something about your swearing, It’s not polite-”

“Shut up!”

“I mean, You thought it would be okay to force the theater kids to give you the role I wanted just to make me feel bad so I think is only fair to play just as dirty and force you to play it, you liking it or not” Shuhua couldn’t say that hearing Soojin’s words early didn’t filled her with anger but what was the best way to get back at the girl, have her do something she never wanted to in the first place. “Two can play this game” 

Seo Soojin was sure that by the end of this, she was actually going to fist fight Shuhua.


	6. Chapter 6

Yeh Shuhua's ability to be a great actress, not to say a  **_liar_ ** , was amazing and for Soojin that might as well be her only outstanding quality so far, But also that made her quite hyper aware of the girl in the following days, She would always caught herself looking at her during lunch together, shared classes as well as other activities; Her words still ringing in her head. 

She was always acting. 

Now she couldn't tell when the girl was being sincere or not, not when she was able to fake being heartbroken over something and to be so convincing that their shared friends were ready to call Soojin out for hurting someone who wasn't even actually hurt. 

Yeh Shuhua was a snake, that's her conclusion about the girl, none of her words and actions are to be trusted.

When she spoke to others, there was a gentle, sweet smile on her lips that had boys and girls blushing where they stood, stumbling on their words when talking to her. Was she really a nice person? Soojin didn't know, but oddly wanted to find out despite never wanting to be closer than necessary with the basketball player; Seeing everyone melt at her honey covered words really made her curious about how truthful those words were.

"Are you reading?" Soyeon asked, sitting next to the blonde at the library.

"Yes" Soojin replied, eyes focused on Shuhua talking with the captain of the volleyball team on another table, she couldn't see the taiwanese's face, but from the way the taller girl she was talking to was blushing and looking at Shuhua like there was nobody else around, it didn't take much to realize the little snake was using her charms.

"Really?" Soyeon said, leaning so she's in front of Soojin "Your book is upside down, dumbass" 

"huh?" 

“You were daydreaming,” Soyeon finally said, placing her bag on top of the table and taking her books. “What’s on your mind? You have been doing that a lot nowadays”

Soojin kept on staring as Shuhua stood up, there was this smirk on her lips, the one she hates so much, as she makes her way out of the library, strutting as always.

“Hey!” She heard Soyeon say again, her mind finally catching up to her so she can fully pay attention. “Seriously, what is going on?”

“Nothing, I’m just thinking about this stupid school play” Soojin replied right away. “You know, the one your precious Shuhua forced me to participate”

“You mean your deserving punishment for making her sad?”

“She wasn’t sad at all, I already told you!”

“Sure, Sure”

Soojin decided not to argue, not for now at least; Her eyes are now focused on the volleyball player Shuhua has been talking to, who was now leaving the library in a hurry, making her mind start to wonder what Shuhua was talking to her.

She had a feeling she would find out sooner or later, either from Shuhua herself or from the gossip that runs around the school’s hallways everytime something somewhat exciting happens. 

It was for the better to wait. 

Meanwhile Shuhua made her way across the sea of students in the hallway, today had everything to be a good, productive day, which was always a good thing as the captain hated dull days when there’s nothing to do. She was quick to spot Minnie around the lockers, kissing Miyeon like always and Shuhua had to stop herself from rolling her eyes at how the couple seemed to not be capable of keeping their hands from each other.

“Kim Minnie!” She said, loudly enough to spook the girl who quickly turned around like a cheating husband caught in the act. “This is your captain speaking” She said, making sure the girl knew this was a ‘serious matter’, for Shuhua but not so much for Minnie.

“Do you have to yell like that?” Miyeon asked, one hand over her chest as she also got startled by the younger. “Is that how you establish dominance with your team?” she teased.

“Don’t get involved” It’s all Shuhua said to Miyeon before looking at Minnie “You’re going to lead the practice today, make sure everyone gets the routine right” She said. Minnie frowns.

“Me? What about you?”

“I’ll be going to the auditorium early today” She explained “I have to prepare some stuff”

“Ain’t that the theater kids’s job?”

“Yeah, but I don’t trust their judgment so just do what I say and take care of the team for today” She looks around and then back at the couple “Ah, and you’re not allowed in the practices anymore” She points to Miyeon who gasps.

“Why not?!”

“You keep distracting Minnie! who by the way, has been lacking a lot these days because all she can think of is her girlfriend” She said, now looking at Minnie who looks elsewhere and pretends the younger wasn’t talking with her. “Now if you excuse me-” She turns around and leaves.

Minnie shakes her head, knowing how that means Shuhua is gonna go full captain in the auditorium and take charge of everything like she tends to do, she can already tell that whatever they have planned for this play is gonna be changed by the girl sooner or later. 

"You know "She heard Miyeon say "I'm not used to Shuhua not being a baby"

"I don't think she ever wanted you to see her as a baby in the first place" Minnie replied, with a laugh.

**.**

**.**

**.**

Soojin hated being there but also couldn't help her curiosity; The auditorium was old and people going there for anything other than making out in the dark was so rare that everything was covered in dust despite the fact that the theater kids were using this place a lot since they decided to start this play, the lack of a clean spot to sit was definitely irritating the clean freak inside of Soojin.

But what caught her attention was the students, last week 10 students decided to join the play, 9 if you consider Soojin was forced to; Right now there's 15 new students that suddenly decided to join and the cheerleader was quick to notice as all of them were part of the volleyball team and her mind was quick to think back of the scene of earlier on, back in the library; She stared at Shuhua who was standing there with her arms crossed yet a satisfied smirk on her face as she watched all of them introducing themselves; It seems she had charmed the Captain of the volleyball team into, she assumed, force her teammates into joining this play and so they didn't had to worry about the event being cancelled due to the lack of students. 

' _ what a sneaky bastard _ ' The blonde thought as she stared at Shuhua, who looked at her which caught Soojin off guard.

The taiwanese winks at her. 

Soojin came to the conclusion that yes, the girl was a snake who might be always lying to others. 

And that Shuhua's willing to do whatever it takes to get what she wants. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope this was a good read! :) let me know what you guys think ^^


	7. Chapter 7

"So what's this stupid story is about?" Soojin asked to Shuhua who was crouching on the floor, painting the roots of a fake tree for the scenario; Soojin offered to help but after making a mess, Shuhua was quick to snatch the brush out of her hands before telling her to just stand there and be pretty for others to admire. 

Shuhua chuckles. "Romance" She said, then hums, poking her chin with the brush as she thinks harder "with a side of Tragedy, I believe" she adds, gesticulating with the brush, pointing at Soojin with it. The blonde covers her mouth as she notices the bright brown stain on the girl's chin. "What?"

Soojin crouches next to her. "You told me I was an useless mess when I tried to help but look at you" She laughs, pointing at her chin "You managed to paint yourself"

"That means I'm a masterpiece" Shuhua replied right away, using her sleeves to get rid of the stain. 

"Do you always have a narcissistic answer ready to use?"

"Yes, It's called being confident" 

Soojin smacked her shoulder, it was almost like out of instinct and Shuhua didn't even flinch, she was used to that by now. 

"Ah, Back with the gratuitous violence"

"That was hardly an actual slap" Soojin defended herself "If I wanted to hurt you, you would be in the infirmary right now" 

She notices how Shuhua looks at her, there was this smug smile on her lips that made her frown, hand twitching at the need to smack her again. 

"So you admit it? you never wanted to actually hurt me?" 

"Not enough to get me expelled" Soojin said "I would break your neck any time tho" 

"Tsk tsk. Always showing your love" She said, focusing on her work again. Soojin then decides to change the topic.

"You like acting?" She asks after a few seconds of silence and Shuhua only nods. "Why?" She doesn't know why she was curious all of sudden, maybe it was because the girl was the only person in their group that Soojin somewhat knew, she was too shy to talk to anybody else and so she stayed there next to Shuhua. 

"My mom was an actress" It's her reply, short and simple, eyes still focused on what she was doing, Soojin expected a more elaborate answer but that never came, Shuhua just dipped the brush into the paint and kept on working on that tree.

"And…?" She encouraged the girl to keep going, not wanting the awkward silence to come yet.

"And what?"

"She's an actress-"

" _ Was  _ an Actress" Shuhua corrected, without looking at her. "She dropped that dream after she got pregnant; My Father believes that a woman's priority should be her child and not her job so she quit"

"Oh" Soojin felt awkward, there were some questions in her mind regarding Shuhua thanks to that new piece of information. "I didn't know that"

Shuhua chuckles. "I'm not exactly known for talking about my tragic backstory, Seo Soojin" She mocked. "But I'm surprised Yuqi didn't said anything about that to you guys" 

Then again, Yuqi managed to be more sensitive about Shuhua's family than Shuhua herself; She guesses the other girl didn't want to feel awkward having to explain that to their friends and just never talked about it.

"What about your dad?"

"My dad was the captain of the basketball team of his school, back in Taiwan" Shuhua said "He works as a lawyer now" She adds, standing up and Soojin did the same. "Give me the green paint" She said, pointing at the bucket near them before turning around and dipping her brush on the water to clean it up. 

"Aren't you tired?" Soojin asked, grabbing the bucket that was on top of the old piano, and dragging it back to Shuhua who looked at her with a frown. "I mean, It's almost time for lunch"

"I brought my own lunch, so I won't need to go to the cafeteria." She quickly started to paint the leaves of the fake tree, with a focused frown on her face. "There's so much work to do," she adds.

"Ok" Soojin replied, looking at the girl. 

This girl seemed to have the tendency to overwork, Soojin noticed; But that's none of her business and so when the bell rang, she left the auditorium right away, not sparing another glance at the girl on the stage, working on the scenario.

The school's hallway was less of a chaos now that Shuhua was too focused on the school play to have time to scream around the hallways with Yuqi and have fights with Soojin that would end up with the cheerleader trying to hit her with her backpack or some other act of violence, as much as having their eardrums assaulted by their team captain's voice wasn't a pleasant feeling, they were starting to miss is.

Soojin might have heard a student tell her to go pick a fight with Shuhua already to keep things exciting in this school. 

“God, that auditorium feels like a prison!” Soojin says as she sits by their table, Minnie and Soyeon were already there while Yuqi and Miyeon were on the line to get their food. “Everytime I get out of there it feels like I’ve lost 5 years of my lifespan”

“and where’s our little maknae?” Soyeon asked right away. Soojin rolled her eyes.

“I swear, you worry about Shuhua more than about me!” The girl accused and Soyeon laughed at how overdramatic she was.

“And you get jealous everytime our attention is on her, so you’re just a big baby”

“She decided to stay there so she can work on the stage, all that crap” Soojin explained as Miyeon and Yuqi finally arrived and sat by the table, her sentence caught Yuqi’s attention.

“and you just let her?” The girl asked.

“I’m not her mom, I’m not gonna tell her what to do”

Yuqi rolled her eyes at the comment and started to speed up as she ate and drank her juice, much to everyone’s displeasure.

“Yuqi!” Soyeon called “I can see everything in your mouth with you eating so fast!” She said while Minnie pats the younger’s back.

“The food isn’t gonna run from you kid”

“I gotta finish quickly to check on Shuhua,” She replied. “If I don’t, she won’t eat anything”

“She had her lunch with her, calm down” Soojin said, calmly eating her own lunch she brought with her, she had to endure her sister’s jokes the last night for asking to bring lunch from home like a little kid, but the girl didn’t know how long she would get stuck in the auditorium so she had to.

“Yuqi laughs, but shakes her head. “You don’t know Shuhua; When she focus on something, she tends to ignore everything else”

“You’re gonna get sick if you eat that quick,” Miyeon said, caressing Yuqi’s hair like she was talking to a small child and Soojin couldn’t stop herself from smiling at that. 

“Unnie don’t pat my head, I feel like a dog!” Yuqi complained, making the others laugh at the way Yuqi moved away from the older who looked at her in shock, now complaining that Yuqi and Shuhua didn’t appreciate her affection enough. 

  
  


**.**

**.**

**.**

“Why am I here again?” Soojin asks as she follows Yuqi across the hallways of the school, there’s still 20 minutes left before the bell rang telling them to go back to class, but Yuqi just grabbed her arm and dragged her away from the cafeteria and well deserved 20 minutes of rest.

“I’ll just check on Shuhua, make sure she ate”

“and how is that my problem?”

“Your job is to beat her up if she doesn't,” Yuqi simply replied. “Since I can’t”

“You can’t? as in physically or emotionally” Soojin teased, laughing knowing that as much as Shuhua and Yuqi are always arguing with each other and screaming at the top of their lungs, they were the sweetest with each other, which might be the only time she’ll ever use the word sweet and shuhua in the same sentence. 

“AH HA!” Yuqi said, as they entered the auditorium and saw Shuhua, now alone, by the stage carrying stuff around and Soojin tries to keep herself from expressing anything but seeing her doing all that alone was a bit worrying, however her startled face once she hears Yuqi’s voice, hands almost dropping what she was carrying was hilarious and Soojin couldn’t stop herself from laughing as she watched Yuqi sprint her way to the younger, hoping on the stage as Soojin followed with her usual slow pace. “You workaholic! Have you eaten anything?”

Shuhua looks at her in confusion and then squints her eyes as if she tries to remember if she ate or not.

“Ah, that explains my tummy hurting” The girl said while Yuqi snatches the props she was carrying while Shuhua sighes and walks towards her backpack to get her lunch, then finally noticing Soojin was also there. “Aww, The Ice Queen was worried about me too?” She laughs.

“Yuqi says my job here is beat you up so don’t provoke me” It’s all Soojin said as she made her way into the stage. 

Shuhua looks at Yuqi with a smirk “She didn’t denied it tho”

“Shut up and eat” It’s all Soojin said as she watched Shuhua make her way to sit next to Yuqi, wrapping her sandwich and starting to eat; The chinese girl then looks at Soojin.

“How is it? Having to work together?” She asked. 

“You know… The usual,”Shuhua started “Offenses, gratuitous violence, sadism and Soojin’s huge crush on me” Before the blonde can protest, the captain looks at her with a smirk “Sorry,  _ Unnie  _ but you’re not my type… I like the tough type”

Soojin noticed how Yuqi looks away at that, then she looks at Soojin like she knows something that the other don’t and Soojin kept her poker face as she watched Shuhua turn her attention to her food, not even caring about the lack of a response from Soojin who just stood there and watch them bickering before the bell rang and they had to go to class but not without hearing Shuhua complaining about all the work she couldn’t get done that day. 

**.**

**.**

**.**

It was the end of classes and Soojin couldn’t be more relieved, as much as she liked everyone, well not  _ everyone _ , she was a loner above everything else and so being alone, with peace and quiet, was always welcome in her life no matter the time, if she didn’t had a reputation to maintain Soojin would sure just sprint her way back home as soon as they were done with the last class of the day. 

If Soyeon saw her right now she would laugh at how fast the girl was walking, she didn’t wanted to run in front of everyone but her walking speed sure was faster than usual, trying to get out as fast as possible, sighing in relief once she's in the parking lot, making her way out with success, not even bothering saying goodbye to anyone. 

After a few meters away from school, she heard someone calling for her and as she turned around, her eyes went wide as she saw Yeh Shuhua running towards her, almost out of breath.

“What the heck, you’re now stalking me-” She stopped once Shuhua basically shoved papers on her face. “what-” yet another interruption from the other.

“This is your script!” She says, between deep breaths. Soojin took it and frowned before staring at the girl. “I expect you to start practicing by the way”

“You could’ve given me this tomorrow you know” Soojin said as she opens her backpack and places the script inside, not knowing how to process what was going on. Shuhua smirks.

“No time to waste, Seo Soojin! The earlier you start practicing, the better!” She replied. “Well, I did my duty so goodbye!” Soojin watched, in complete confusion as she younger turned around and started to run in the opposite direction, probably finally going home. 

The basketball player kept on making her more and more confused as the days pass by, but right now, as she stood there still watching as Shuhua ran away, all she could think is why she works like she’s running out of time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you guys think :)


	8. Chapter 8

Sometimes Yuqi would be creeped out by how quiet the Yeh household was, The only thing she could hear was the faint noise of Shuhua’s mother humming in the kitchen as she makes dinner for the two girls while her father was locked up in his office, nose buried into his paperwork; Too focused on his work to care for anything else, the few times Yuqi saw him, behind his desk, she couldn’t help but notice how Shuhua looks a lot like him, with that focused look in her eyes when she does anything, always trying to achieve perfection. 

Sometimes Yuqi thinks nothing can ever satisfy Shuhua.

“What are you doing?” She asked as soon as they entered the taiwanese’s room and the younger one made her way to her desk and started to take her notebook out of her backpack, quickly writing something on it. 

"I had some ideas for the play, so I better start working on it" 

"I thought we were going to have fun" Yuqi grabbed her shoulders, trying not to think how she had caught Mrs.Yeh and her husband in this same position when she was younger, back when the woman had to drag him out of his office so he wouldn't miss Shuhua's birthday. "Why don't you take a break?"

Shuhua sighs. "But I-"

"The preparations only began, you don't have a deadline you know?" Yuqi could be loud and crazy at school but in those moments, she had to be the mature one so Shuhua doesn't go overboard. "So no need to hush"

"Fine… Fine, What do you wanna do?" 

"Let's play games" 

"Again?"

"You loved to play games!" Yuqi complained, moving to sit on the bed and Shuhua followed, sitting next to her. "Heck, you even would call me and make me come here to play with you"

"Ah that was before, is boring now"

"Boring she says!" Yuqi complained and Shuhua rolled her eyes while smiling before turning on the console so they both could play.

Meanwhile on the other side of the city there was Soojin, in her pink pajamas with cherry patterns, all comfortable in bed as she texted the girls, legs kicking against the mattress. 

Then she got notified that Miyeon added her to a group chat with Soyeon. 

**Miyeon** :

Girls.

**Soojin:**

What now?

**Soyeon:**

Ok, clearly is something she doesn't want the other three to know. What is it?

**Miyeon:**

Minnie has been acting weird.

**Soojin:**

Why?

She didn't hold your hand for 5 seconds?

Is that the issue?

**Soyeon:**

AKSHAIJSJAU

**Soojin:**

How dare you keysmash to my face.

**Miyeon:**

Girls i'm serious

It's the second time she cancels our dates.

**Soyeon:**

what? u think she's like

cheating on u or something

**Soojin:**

Soyeon 

what the fuck

**Miyeon:**

I WASN'T UNTIL U SAID THAT

**Soyeon:**

oops

**Soojin:**

ok calm down

She's probably tired since that little devil shuhua acts like she owns the basketball team's souls and makes them practice too much. just talk to her

minnies probably exhausted

**Miyeon:**

Or with another girl :(

**Soojin:**

Look what u did soyeon

**Soyeon:**

it was a joke!!! leave me alone

Unnie just

talk to her?? that ain't hard

**Miyeon:**

Okay, I'll try.

**Soojin:**

oh so when Soyeon tells u to talk to her you'll do it but when i do it, you ignore me!

Soojin sighs as she hits send, she knows what this was all about, Minnie has been very focused on planning something for their 8th month of dating, but obviously she couldn’t tell Miyeon that and ruin the surprise, but seeing the older being so sad about it was hard as well. So she decided to send someone a text as she ignored the notifications from Miyeon and Soyeon’s texts.

**Soojin:**

Hey

It’s me

Soojin stared at her screen, waiting for a response that took ages -it was 5 minutes- to come. 

**Yeh Shuhua:**

Whom??

**Soojin:**

It’s Soojin, dumbass

I need something

**Yeh Shuhua:**

I already said you’re not my type

‘J _ ust take a deep breath Soojin, don’t let her provoke you like this _ ’ She thought to herself as she tried to ignore the need to curse at the girl and her stupid messages, especially at how she could picture her smirk and the cockiness in her voice as soon as she read the text; Shuhua knew how to annoy her, and Soojin hated how she couldn’t keep it cool once the provocation started. 

**Soojin:**

Anyways

I need you to give minnie a break

Miyeon wants to spend time with her and she can’t

because of you forcing Minnie to do your work

There was no reply, 5 and then 10 minutes have passed and Soojin couldn’t believe the girl simply decided to ignore her texts like that; and this was their precious maknae, the girl thought annoyed as she started to type something to get her attention but was interrupted by Shuhua’s reply, which only made her blood boil.

**Yeh Shuhua:**

that’s none of my business

Why are you so selfish? Soojin wanted to yell and probably throw something at her.

**Soojin:**

Are you serious? 

**Yeh Shuhua:**

If Minnie can't do her job then

she shouldn't have a girlfriend

who I might add only distracts her

in the first place. 

Soojin promised herself to smack Shuhua as soon as she saw her at school the next morning, there was no reasoning behind her actions; With a groan she went back to text Soyeon and Miyeon to try and calm the older down.

As for Shuhua, back in the Yeh Household, they were sitting by the table as they ate dinner, one of the few moments when the house wasn't so quiet, Mr. Yeh spoke firm and loud, like Shuhua, as if wanting everyone to hear his words while Mrs. Yeh was soft spoken and didn't start most of the conversations that are mainly initiated and dominated by her husband as usual.

"Yuqi, How have you been at school?" The man asked, the bright smile on his lips contrasting his eyebags from working so much, Yuqi had noticed Shuhua was starting to have those too. 

“I have been doing great, Sir” Yuqi replied, in mandarim, ever since she and Shuhua became friends, the man insisted they spoke in their native language, it definitely felt more comfortable and at home without having to think too hard at what words to use. “Grades are high as usual” She adds, knowing that’s what he wants to hear, his smile widens, causing his eyes to squint. 

“That’s always good to hear! You two have to work hard everyday!”

"Father, I work hard everyday!" Shuhua was quick to say. "Yuqi and I are actually in the top 10 of our school!" She brags, arms around Yuqi's shoulder and dragging her closer, caughting the other by surprise as she tries not to let her food spill, which makes Mrs. Yeh chuckle. 

The pride in his eyes was evident.

"But you can always be in the top 3" He said, then looks at Yuqi "The both of you!" 

"Of course I can" Shuhua replied, with a sudden boost of energy "Actually, I'm in charge of the new school play; I'll act on it too" She announced with a proud smile, and this time Mrs. Yeh smiles, bigger than the usual small, sweet smiles.

"Acting? That's wonderful dear!" 

"What about your basketball team?" Her father asked, with a frown. "Aren't those your duties?"

"I'm still taking care of anything!" Shuhua replied, with the same confidence as always. "The coach even lets me train the team on my own!" She brags once again.

Mr. Yeh couldn't be any more proud hearing those words, happy for his hard working daughter. 

**.**

**.**

**.**

The next day was a cold morning, with Shuhua and Yuqi waking a bit later than usual due to being way too comfy under the covers of Shuhua's bed to remember it was still school day, but thankfully Mrs. Yeh came for their rescue and quickly made sure to wake up the two cuddling girls from their beauty sleep; Of course, they end up arguing over who was going to use the bathroom first and if they were going to pause for breakfast, not an option for Shuhua who just took a big gulp of the warm coffee, Before running outside without waiting for her chinese friend who comes out of the house just a few seconds later, still chewing on the toast she managed to steal from the table. 

"Yeh Shuhua! Wait for me-" Yuqi whines, jogging towards the girl who was walking faster than usual, making Yuqi struggle to catch up. "Seriously!" She complained, finally reaching for the girl, interlocking their arms. "It's so cold this morning, what the heck. It's not even Winter" 

They were wearing their jackets and scarfs, yet Shuhua couldn't help but notice Yuqi's hands still shaking from what she assumed to be the cold. 

"You forgot your gloves, Dummy"

"I didn't! You're wearing them!" Yuqi was quick to accuse and Shuhua looked at her own hands, noticing the giraffe pattern on the gloves. 

"Ah… Your loss then, It's mine now"

Yuqi pushed her away playfully, making Shuhua laugh as they kept making their way to school. 

**.**

**.**

**.**

Soojin shudders from the cold despite the thick leather jacket she was wearing, the weather seemed to get even worse, judging by the grey clouds forming on the sky and the blonde was hoping it wouldn't rain too much, that would make things only colder; She looked at her side and sighes at Miyeon and Minnie being their lovey dovey selves. 

For someone who was so worried her girlfriend was cheating on her, Miyeon sure was showering Minnie with her love that morning, more than Soojin was comfortable with. 

"Ah, Yes. It's so fun to hang out with you two" She said, looking away and ignoring the kissing sounds, she heard Minnie giggle.

"Sorry, Soojin! I can't help it" Miyeon said, trying not to laugh as well; It seems things went well with them last night as Miyeon doesn't look as worried anymore. Soojin was happy for them, truly. But not enough to enjoy third wheeling like this.

Now she wished Soyeon was there to at least suffer with her. 

The loud noises coming from down the hallway was enough to tell the 3 unnies that their loud youngest had arrived at school, Shuhua's arm around Yuqi's shoulder as they were singing- no, they were yelling a song's lyrics, making Minnie and Miyeon laugh behind Soojin who looked at them with the same poker face of always, maybe one eye twitch here and there. 

"Falling for Youuu!" Shuhua sang as they arrived near the group, pointing at their direction while Yuqi laughed at the deep voice her friend used. Seeing the girl again reminded Soojin of the texts last night, and for a second she considered pushing her away if it wasn't for her to still have her arm wrapped around Yuqi. "Now fall in love with my vocals" She brags. 

"Turn the play into a musical and sing on it" Minnie joked, and Shuhua gasps, finally moving away from Yuqi and searching for her notebook inside her backpack. "Good idea!"

"No!" Soojin complained, turning to Minnie. "I'm the lead! That means I'll be singing!" She turns to Shuhua who was already writing her ideas away "I swear, Yeh Shuhua-"

The bell rang, and Soojin groaned at the smile Shuhua had as she kept on writing on that notebook, thanks to Minnie she was probably full of ideas that would sure end up on Soojin embarrassing herself in front of the whole school; The girls decided it was the better to leave them to deal with their problems on their own.

Which meant that they didn't want to watch them argue so early in the morning. 

"Do not take Minnie's words seriously," Soojin said as she watched Shuhua close her notebook. "I can't sing-" 

"Don't worry" Shuhua said, caughting Soojin off guard with her sweet smile, her tone of voice changing as well. "You have a wonderful voice" There was the honey covered words again, the younger pats her shoulder before moving away. "See you at the auditorium for your scene"

' _ Fuck! _ ' Soojin thinks as she watches Shuhua walking away before going to her own class, realizing she didn't practice at all and how the girl was going to annoy her even more about this at the end of the day.

Yet, her sweet words and smile was still stuck in her head and Soojin held back an annoyed grunt to escape her lips; If that little snake thought that the cheerleader would fall for her charms and do whatever she wants, she was wrong.

Or so is what Soojin thinks. 


	9. Chapter 9

Soojin never saw Shuhua so furious in those 2 years of knowing the younger girl.

Everything started when the volleyball team and the basketball team decided to have a friendly match since both of their practices were cancelled on that cold day and some of them didn’t had any classes after that; Soojin was dragged by Miyeon to see their match, since her own practices was also canceled because they had to do it outside and it seems the sky was about to fall on them from so much rain. 

Even Yuqi, that wasn’t much into the sport, was playing after Shuhua realized they needed another teammate on their side and so the chinese girl was a bit forced by her friend to play, but it didn’t take much for Shuhua to convince her either way, all the girl did was promise Yuqi something and there was Yuqi wearing Shuhua’s headband, as she can’t wear the team’s uniform, inside her tracksuit that always looks so much bigger than hers. Soojin couldn’t help but think how adorable she looks despite always trying to look tough.

Soojin realized, as she watched them play, that Shuhua and Minnie worked really well together and that explained all the victories they got for the team for the past games they were in, the captain and her co-captain really were a golden duo for sure, but anyone there could tell Minnie wasn’t in a good day that morning and maybe playing wasn’t a good idea.

Miyeon was reaching for something in her bag when it all happened, and Soojin was thankful that she didn’t see that scene; One of the girls from the volleyball team tried to make a pass, and Soojin gave her the benefit of the doubt and hoped she didn’t mean any harm however, as she pushed Minnie out of the way, sending her to the ground and Soojin hopes she’s going to forget the painful scream and the sound she heard once her knee hit the ground; Of course the sudden noise made Miyeon look up right away, recognizing the voice and she panicked right away once she saw her girlfriend on the floor, both girls quickly standing up and running towards her.

She never saw Minnie cry before, but there she was with her cheeks wet from the tears and Soojin didn't really know what to do, she could only vaguely remember telling Yuqi to call a teacher, and as she watched the younger nod, still a bit startled before running out, she heard Shuhua's voice, loud and clear, but this time she was furious. 

"What the fuck is wrong with you?!" She never heard her swear before either, So Soojin was a bit caught off guard by that. "There was no need to push her like that!"

"It was an accident"

"Bullshit!" 

Soojin quickly stood up as she noticed Shuhua making her way towards the other girl, afraid she would try to pick an actual fight when they should be focusing on Minnie right now. 

"Hey, Hey! Calm down" Soojin wrapped her arms around Shuhua's waist and shoulders to keep her from trying anything while the volleyball team did the same with the other girl, taking her away so everyone could calm down. "Can we please focus on Minnie?" Soojin said, still holding Shuhua who was so red that the cheerleader thought she was about to explode. 

The younger took a deep breath before roughly pushing Soojin's arms away from her, mumbling an irritated 'get off me' as she turned her attention to Minnie just in time for a teacher and the nurse to arrive and finally help the girl out. 

.

.

.

To say that everyone's mood that day wasn't the best wasn't enough. Minnie had to stay in the infirmary the rest of the day until her parents were able to pick her up by the end of the classes; Being the popular unnie that she is, it was common to see other students going to the infirmary just to check on her; Miyeon spent her break time in the infirmary with her girlfriend obviously, and since only one person was allowed to visit, Soojin, Shuhua and Yuqi stayed by the cafeteria eating in silence, with Yuqi receiving texts from Miyeon once in a while about Minnie so she could inform the other two.

Soojin glanced at Shuhua who was still upset over the whole thing, she heard her complaining about how she didn't get the chance to beat that other girl up to Yuqi who also tried her best to calm the younger down, which didn't work as she was current stabbing the poor french fries with her fork. 

Yuqi awkwardly coughs, Soojin didn't blame her. The three of them were a rare combination, and the if the older had wished Soyeon was there before, now she really was wishing the other was there so things would be less awkward, Neither Yuqi and Soojin wanted to say anything that would possible trigger the little volcano sitting near them so they just looked at each other and then glancing at the younger as if having a conversation with their eyes. 

Soojin never thought Shuhua could be scary, she always looked like an annoying little puppy most of the time, with so much energy that it made Soojin feel tired just by looking at her for too long. It was annoying, truly.

"I can feel you two staring at me" She suddenly said and Soojin and Yuqi quickly looked away. Failing at trying to be natural. "What? Never saw someone angry before?" 

"I mean, you did threaten someone with physical violence" Yuqi said while Soojin quietly ate her food.

"And? Soojin does that all the time" Shuhua replied as she pointed at the cheerleader and Soojin tried not to choke on her drink; Now she was shoving her into the conversation all of sudden after pretending she didn't exist for the past hours? Soojin rolled her eyes.

"Excuse me I have never tried to actually put you in the infirmary" She defended herself and Yuqi sighes, sensing another argument coming. "Plus, Minnie herself didn't wanted you to get in trouble" 

Shuhua didn't say anything, she just stared at the older girl before pushing her tray away and picking her backpack. 

"Whatever" She stood up to leave and Yuqi did as well but the taiwanese was quick to turn around. "I want to be alone!" She was quick to say and Soojin watches as Yuqi awkwardly sits back down as Shuhua leaves the cafeteria, slamming the doors open on her way out. 

The two remaining girls looked at each other and sigh, tired; Soojin just hoped that Shuhua wouldn't still be irritated later on that stupid play's practice, in fact she hoped the girl would not come but knowing how obsessive she can be, the blonde just accepted she would most likely have to deal with her mood by the end of the day. 

“I wish Soyeon was here” She heard Yuqi said and she couldn’t agree more.

.

.

.

Soojin made her way to the infirmary to check on Minnie one last time after she met with Miyeon just a while ago, her parents were in the parking lot ready to come pick her up and so by now Minnie was probably getting ready to leave, from what she heard from Miyeon her injury wasn’t too bad, no bones broke but she would need a lot of rest and maybe she wouldn’t be able to play in any of the games in the next 3 months and Soojin was sure that’s what was bothering Shuhua so much, not Minnie’s well being,

If anything the Captain had proved how selfish she can be when it comes to getting what she wants so she wouldn’t put it past her only being upset because Minnie wouldn’t help her get another trophy for her to brag about. 

“I’m so sorry” She heard as soon as she quietly opened the door to the infirmary, and she froze as she recognized Shuhua’s voice, but it was the quiet sniffs, indicating crying, that caught her off guard. “You complained about your knee all week and I shouldn’t have made you play-”

“Come on, don’t be like that” She heard Minnie say and she could almost picture her reassuring smile as she spoke softly to calm Shuhua down. “I should’ve been more careful too, but it’s nothing serious you know”

There was silence and Soojin was starting to feel awkward for just standing there and listening to their conversation but also not knowing how or if she should step in and interrupt.

“Miyeon will take good care of me,” Minnie said again. “You know how she is”

“an annoyance?”

“Hey!”

Soojin closed the door softly so they wouldn’t know she was there the whole time, now she felt like a creep for hearing all of that and maybe a bit guilty over her previous thoughts about the annoying basketball player; Without a word she made her way out towards the auditorium, maybe Shuhua’s mood would be better once she arrived there.


	10. Chapter 10

The situation was a bit embarrassing for Soojin, having to practice her lines alone while Shuhua was sitting down on a chair and staring at her as she stumbles on her words, having to read about her character's love confession to her beloved when there was only Shuhua in the auditorium with her made the cheerleader nervous and Shuhua didn't helped her by staring at her so intensely with those cold eyes of hers.

Soojin almost forgot she was crying to Minnie just a few minutes ago.

"What I mean is... "Soojin closes her eyes and tries to ignore the heat on her cheeks, taking a deep breath she keeps going. "I love you" She looks at Shuhua's blank stare. "I love you and I love you… Like no one else would"

She finished reading and there's silence, Soojin scratches the back of her neck awkwardly, hating how she put herself in that situation in the first place; She wasn't an actress at all, dancing was her thing and sometimes she wasn't even sure if she was good enough at that either.

"Okay, that was the lamest love confession delivery" Shuhua said, and for the younger's surprise, that didn't get an angry reaction from Soojin but actually she became shy at those words, quieter even and the taiwanesse perked up at that. "You can get better, just try to picture saying it to someone you love" She adds, hoping her words would pull the girl out of her shell, one that Shuhua didn't realize she had. 

You see, As head cheerleader Soojin was very charismatic with her smooth moves when cheering for the teams on game nights, Shuhua saw her at it several times and so the duality between the girl who had a fire in her eyes when dancing and the one being shy about a play was a bit confusing to her; Especially when she was on the receiving end of her  _ fury _ several times. 

"How do you want me to imagine that?" Soojin wasn't in love with anyone, if anything the closest person she could think of was Hui, but she wasn't in love with the boy, she just thought he was cute; That wasn't enough for her to imagine him when she's delivering a love confession on stage.

Shuhua crosses her arms. "Have you ever been in love?" 

Soojin sighs and decides to be honest. "Not really"

Shuhua took her legs off the chair in front of her and gestures for Soojin to sit, which she did, hands playing with her scripts, usually she stuck with what she knew she was good at, dancing was one of those; The idea of doing anything new without knowing she would do good made the feelings of insecurity and inadequacy grown inside her chest. 

She heard Shuhua's voice speaking to her, But the way she spoke was different from the usual. Softer, her usual honey covered words but this time she wasn't trying to use her charms.

"Falling in love is a warm feeling inside your chest" She explained, her eyes moving around like she tries to think of words to use. "It hurts but in a good way, being around that person makes you happy and sometimes you'll think the day is brighter every time they're around" Soojin didn't miss the way Shuhua's lips almost turned into a smile, she believes the girl was thinking about someone. "Is a feeling of warmth and security and that's the feeling you have to show when saying how much you love your partner" 

"Are you in love with someone?" Soojin asked before she could stop herself, the words were so precise, so firm and Shuhua looked so certain about what she was talking about that the cheerleader couldn't stop herself from not being curious. Shuhua stares at her in silence and the older wonder if she was overstepping their boundaries, the younger didn't care about her personal life and neither does Soojin so why this question all of sudden.

"Yes, I am" Her words are so simple, she didn't even flinch as those words escape her lips and Soojin is a bit surprised then again she remembers how good Shuhua is at acting. 

' _ She sounds so casual about it, But is it how she really feels? _ ' She thought as she watched Shuhua stand up and make her way to her backpack; Everything about this girl made her confused, her words don't match her expressions or her actions and Soojin has the feeling she's always lying. 

"Is there anything else I should know" She asked "About my character I mean" 

"Well, your character is a dumb teenager in love trying to get her crush's attention" Shuhua looks at Soojin from over her shoulder with a smirk and then winks "Spoiler alert: They don't get together in the end" 

"You sound too happy about this" Soojin said "Don't girls usually like happy endings?" Is what she was told, Girls love romance and happy endings; Soojin knows she did, the main couple kissing and staying together by the end of a movie or a drama was always something she looked forward to.

"Sad endings are more realistic" Shuhua argued, standing up. "No everyone gets what they want. That's realistic and is how life works"

"Ok, Emo"

"Emo? Me?" Shuhua looks offended "Have you seen Yuqi?! She cries everytime we win a game!" She said as she laughed and Soojin laughed as well because it was true, Yuqi was the sensitive type and Shuhua was always teasing her about it, making her cry was easy and that just added bonus points to her cuteness which she hated every time they brought that up.

As they stop laughing, Shuhua smiles. "I can't believe it"

"What?" The older asked, still giggling.

"I think this is the first time we spent 3 minutes without fighting. It's our new record" The girl said, putting her script inside her backpack along as some books.

"I can always smack you again if that's what you want" Soojin replied, crossing her arms and becoming her serious self again but Shuhua kept on smiling.

"Seo Soojin, that's a very modern way to flirt"

"Shut Up!" Soojin said right away, however not as annoyed as she used to before. "By the way… You never told me which character you'll be"

"Well, since you stole my role-" Shuhua started and Soojin rolled her eyes. "I'll either be a side character who steals the spotlight with my amazing acting or the boring villain"

"You would look good as a villain" Soojin said without thinking, once she realized her 'mistake' of complimenting the younger she was quick to correct herself "It's probably because of your nasty personality" 

Shuhua didn't reply but Soojin heard her chuckle before her phone started to buzz and she realized it was her sister texting her to pick her up since it was still raining outside. 

"Oh, my sister came to pick me up," Soojin said, reaching for her leather jacket thrown on top of the piano and quickly dressing it up, as she looked at Shuhua who was now walking towards some of the props around. "Aren't you leaving?" She asked, quickly typing an answer to her text. 

Shuhua looks at her with a smile. 

"No, I still have work to do-" 

"School will be closed in an hour," Soojin said, frowning. "and will get dark soon, so you shouldn't walk home alone so late just because of this play,"

Shuhua blinks. "I'll just finish this, plus my father will pick me up" Soojin sighs, it feels like she spoke to a wall, but at least she was relieved to know the girl wouldn't go home alone late at night. 

"Fine, whatever" She said, picking up her stuff to leave while Shuhua started to put everything in place, once the taiwanesse hears the door close she releases a sigh she didn't know she was holding back.

' _ At least I hope he remembers to come pick me up _ ' It's all she could think.

**.**

**.**

**.**

The following morning was definitely better, the sky was clean and the sun was brighter than before however it was just as cold as yesterday and Shuhua couldn't understand how that was possible, it was the sun's job to keep things warm; She was currently sitting next to Minnie, attached to her arm like a baby koala since Yuqi stole back her warm giraffe gloves from Shuhua and so she was now using the older’s sleeve to warm her hands while also having to endure the hard duty of watching Miyeon speak with Minnie in baby voice while feeding her.

The thing she does for warm hands.

“Unnie, Minnie-Unnie hurt her knee not her mouth” Shuhua complained as she watched the scene with disgust. Miyeon laughs while Minnie just casually munches her food, not really against being even more spoiled by her girlfriend.

“Does the baby want to be fed too?”

“Ew gross, get away!” She was quick to move as far away from the couple and cling to Yuqi instead, who started to laugh and caused the couple to laugh as well, only for Minnie to whine and touch her knee.

“Don’t make me laugh, you two!” She complained, but Shuhua has the feeling she was being overdramatic just to get Miyeon all over her, even if she doesn’t need to act hurt for that to happen as there isn’t a second Miyeon ain’t spoiling her girlfriend. 

Meanwhile in the hallways there was Soojin and Soyeon walking side by side while the head cheerleader explained what happened the previous day and the whole argument that happened while Soyeon stared at her in confusion.

“Why is it that when something exciting happens, I happen to have missed school” The girl complained as Soojin laughed. “But how is Minnie?”

“She’s ok, she didn’t break anything but it’s for the better she doesn’t play for a while”

“I’m sure Shuhua is upset she won’t have her co-captain to play with her by the end of the year”

“Yeah” Soojin replied as they walked into the cafeteria and saw the situation that was going on, Miyeon was on her daily attempt of treating Shuhua as her child, and the taiwanese was currently holding onto Yuqi for ‘protection’ and most likely threatening the older as well.

All while Minnie watched everything in silence, focusing on her food and pretending the whole chaos wasn’t happening around her. Soojin sighs and asks herself how in the world those were her group of friends.

“You guys are energetic as always huh?” Soojin says as they approach the table, she was going to sit next to Yuqi but was not so subtly pushed to the side by Soyeon who was quick to sit near the chinese girl and then glance up to Soojin who looked back at her as if to say ‘you could’ve just asked?’ but then sit down near her friend, rolling her eyes.

‘ _ If you’re gonna behave like that at least have some courage to ask her out _ ’ Soojin thought watching as Soyeon struggled to talk to Yuqi who was being manhandled around by Shuhua. 

How hard could it be to ask a girl out anyways?

She looked at Shuhua who was now talking all excited with Minnie and Miyeon about the play, but the cheerleader couldn’t help but notice the eyebags starting to become evident under her eyes and wondered how long she stayed at school last night; Always the obsessive girl, she thought with a sigh, but then remembered her words about love, and how she was in love with someone yet she never saw the girl with anyone else, at least not in a way that could indicate who she liked.

Shuhua was flirty and so seeing her hitting on people as easily as she breathed wasn’t uncommon but she never really noticed the girl showing actual interest in anyone. 

So, was that a lie too? just another act to confuse Soojin? 

Shuhua must have felt Soojin staring at her cause she turned around and looked straight into the blonde’s eyes in confusion, which made Soojin finally look away and snap out of her thoughts and proceed to try and not let soyeon turn her into a third wheel as she speaks with Yuqi.

Shuhua then turned her attention to her food and proceed to eat quickly, ignoring Miyeon scolding her; If she was bothered by the cheerleader staring at her just now, she didn’t show.

She was a good actress after all. 

  
  
  
  



	11. Chapter 11

The weekend came quicker than expected and with that some days to relax after the amount of surprise exams they had to endure in the last three days of the week, Soojin was glad for several reasons, exams were over, Minnie could stay at home and rest properly without worrying about missing anything at school, and she wouldn’t need to go to the auditorium now that it was the weekend.

So two days without having to deal with Yeh Shuhua and her need for perfection, who in the world would worry that much about how good this play will be? Only students and their parents would watch it anyways; The cheerleader was happy that her parents and her sister would be too busy to attend it by the end of the year, it would spare her the embarrassment.

The following days have been just as cold so staying outside and chilling wasn’t an option to most people but sadly for Seo Soojin, she wasn’t one of those people as that weekend was her day of buying the groceries, there she was wondering around the supermarket building, picking whatever was in the list her sister gave her.

"Seriously, why do we need ice cream? Is already cold as fuck" She mumbles under her breath as she stares at her list.

After a few minutes of wandering around, she noticed someone by the hair products section, looking for something and so the girl was quick to approach.

"Yuqi-"

"Ah! Soojin-Unnie!" Yuqi jumped, startled as she hid something behind her back and Soojin frowned. That was weird. "You scared me…"

"I'm sorry, but I guess you were too focused on whatever you're trying to hide from me" She said, leaning to the side to get a glimpse of what the girl was holding but Yuqi moved as well so she couldn't see it. "I hope is nothing wrong-"

"It isn't!" Her voice almost cracked as she tried to defend herself and Soojin held back a giggle. "W...What are you doing here anyways?"

Soojin lifts her bags as if stating the obvious. "Groceries" 

It was rare for Soojin to be able to talk to Yuqi in peace, she was usually hanging out with Soyeon or being dragged around by Shuhua, so a bit too busy for Soojin to be able to properly talk to her; Doesn't mean Soojin didn't consider the younger her friend and wanted to make sure she was alright.

"Your cheeks are as pink as your jacket" Soojin pointed out with a smile. "Do you wanna… talk about it? I still have some time to help" 

Yuqi shakes her head, blushing harder, considering her options. “You can’t tell anyone…”

“Ok.”

“Not even Soyeon”

“Fine, Fine. What is it?”

“You see-”

**.**

**.**

**.**

“What are you doing here?” Shuhua asked as she walked out of her house and saw Minnie standing there in her Minnie themed jacket that Shuhua gave her last year for her birthday, funnily enough Miyeon also gave her the exact same gift which caused both to argue about who stole the other’s idea. That was before they started to date and Shuhua could still remember the blush on Miyeon’s face as her hands were shaking trying to give Minnie her gift and sound as cool and natural as possible. The image was still funny for the younger. 

“You’re such a cold hearted dongsaeng” Minnie whined as always. “I come here, to hang out with you out of the kindness of my heart”

“I’m pretty sure you came here because you either want something or wants to gossip”

“Yeh Shuhua!” Minnie said, offended.

“Kim Minnie!” The younger replied with the same tone.

“I don’t gossip” The older defended herself. “Stop being so annoying and come here already” She said, gesturing for the younger to come close and so Shuhua did, rolling her eyes. “I have something to tell you so let’s go on a walk”

“So you did come here to gossip” Shuhua said as they walked down the sidewalk in a slow pace as Minnie was still recovering. "How's your knee by the way?"

"It's the 6th time you asked me this today" Minnie said, referring to their talk on texts before"It's fine, stop worrying. The worst part is that you have to walk slowly so I can catch up" Minnie laughs; Shuhua always walked like she was late for something and so having to see her walking at a normal speed was fun. 

"Right, Right…" 

"And… for the things I have to say-'' Shuhua frowns as she watched Minnie dramatically move her bangs back, not understanding why she was exaggerating the move until she noticed something on her hand. a ring, which made the younger gasp right away and Minnie smirk. 

"No way-"

"Yep!"

"That idiot Miyeon proposed?"

"Wha- no! She didn't propose, Silly" Minnie laughed while Shuhua held her hand and inspected the ring. "It's a promise ring, she gave it to me last night" 

"Promise ring?"

"She promised to always love me"

"That's-"

"Cute?"

"Gross" Shuhua laughs and pushes the older's hand away. "I thought that with time you two would stop being so clingy with each other"

"Ah don't be like that!" Minnie laughs. "Once you find a girlfriend too then you're gonna be just like me!" 

"I'm too busy for dating," Shuhua replied right away, hoping the other wouldn't insist on this topic. "I have work to do-"

"You need to relax more," Minnie replied. "Can we stop? My knee is getting tired" And so they did, and stood in front of each other.

"This is important to me," Shuhua simply replied. 

"I know...But it shouldn't be all you think about" Minnie places her hands into her pockets and hums before speaking again. "Why are you always trying to be perfect?"

Shuhua frowns. "I'm not trying to be perfect, I'm working hard. I thought you of all people would understand me" 

"Me?" Minnie was confused.

"My Father always says-" Minnie sighs as she realizes the source of the problem. "that we, forereigns, gotta work double to prove ourselves." She said, not bothering in containing her voice's volume when talking to the other. Thankfully there weren't people out in that cold afternoon. 

Shuhua stared at Minnie who just shakes her head knowing she wouldn't be able to convince her dongsaeng so easily. 

"When did you start to speak to me so informally, huh?" She asked, trying to easy up the mood. "Weren't you the cute little forereign that barely spoke up?" She laughs and Shuhua frowns. " _ Kim Minnie-Unnie, Can you h-help me with this? _ " The older says, doing her best younger Shuhua impression. 

"I didn't talk like that at all!" 

"Yes you did" She laughs. "You called everyone by their full name and spoke so softly I could barely hear you" She smirks. "Then you met Soojin and there wasn't a day you weren't yelling at her"

"Well, Yeah. She's crazy" 

"Right and you're a saint huh?" 

"Excuse me, I gave her no reasons to hate me!" Shuhua defended herself. "If anything I would say I treat her better than she deserves" 

"You know, I know two people who really disliked each other in high school, just like you and Soojin," Minnie said, with a smile as Shuhua watched her in confusion.

"Really? Who?"

"My parents" 

Shuhua stared back at her in silence before she turned around. "I'm going home"

"Wait! no, I was kidding!" Minnie said to her right way, trying to keep up with the girl. "Come on, don't be mean to your unnie!" She whined again and Shuhua slowed down her pace so the girl could catch up.

“I’m starting to think you and miyeon really are made for each other,” Shuhua said, looking at Minnie who laughs. “Two idiots!”

“Two idiots but in love!” Minnie adds while Shuhua rolled her eyes, now smiling.

It must feel good, she thought as Minnie starts to talk about something Miyeon related, to love someone and be loved back; Shuhua kept her smile, as always as she realizing that was never going to happen to her.

**.**

**.**

**.**

If the weekend came fast, then it ended faster. 

To Shuhua’s surprise, as she woke up pretty early that morning -all on her own as well-, Yuqi wasn’t at her doorstep waiting for her so they could go to school together as they usually did when both managed to wake up in time. 

She didn’t want to hang out the day before either which was weird for the younger, ever since middle school Yuqi spent the weekends in the taiwanesse’s house more than her own and her father would always joke, asking when he adopted another kid which always made the two laugh.

“Have you seen Yuqi?” Soyeon asked as soon as Shuhua walked into the school, the younger only raised her eyebrows. Now that was someone who wanted to see Yuqi more than anyone else.

“Soyeon-Unnie, when you like a girl you gotta play hard to get, you know; Don’t be all over her” She decided to tease with a smile while Soyeon blushed and slightly pushed her.

“Yeh Shuhua!”

“I’m kidding, I’m kidding” The younger said, she was sure there was something going on between them, at least from Soyeon’s part but decided not to bring it up, for now at least. “We didn’t came together so I think she’s gonna be late again”

“I guess we’ll have to wait for her,” Shuhua nodded before something behind Soyeon caught her attention and the taiwanesse’s eyes went wide at the sight. Shuhua didn’t know what she should focus first, on Yuqi and brand  _ new blonde hair _ , or how casually Seo Soojin was about it as they walked in together like this was just another casual day.

Soyeon must have noticed her face cause she turned around and Shuhua could tell she was gay panicking by the way she frooze on the spot as the girls approached them, and Shuhua hated the smug look on Soojin’s face.

"What the heck happened to your hair?" it’s the first thing she asked Yuqi who looks caught off guard by the question as she touches her own hair.

“It’s that bad?”

“No! It isn’t” Soyeon said before Shuhua could and the younger glanced at her while trying not to laugh at her reaction. “You look really… pretty”

“Damn, you want us to leave you two alone?” Soojin finally asked, and Shuhua laughs; For a second forgetting that she wanted to question the older about Yuqi’s sudden change, knowing that the cheerleader must have something to do with it; But right now, watching as Soyeon tried to compliment Yuqi without being, well, too gay about it; Both were quite entertained.


	12. Chapter 12

"It's halloween!" Minnie celebrated.

"It's October 1" Soojin replied.

“Oh my god, don’t ruin the mood” Shuhua was the one who said this time. “It’s halloween”

“We meet on halloween” Miyeon said, kissing Minnie’s cheek while Shuhua coughs loudly.

“We all met on halloween” The younger corrected “We might as well fit on the plot of a horror movie” She adds, making the others laugh. “What was it again? a party?”

“It was a halloween party on Miyeon’s house and the whole school was invited” Soojin added “I don’t remember anything about that day, I slept in Miyeon’s room the whole party” The cheerleader said, she wasn’t exactly a party kind of person and so after 20 minutes she slipped away and just fell asleep on Miyeon’s room. 

“Soyeon-Unnie dropped soda all over my shirt that night. That’s how we met!” Yuqi laughs as she remembers how she bumped into the other girl while making her way through the crowd. “The stain never left you know”

“I apologized!” Soyeon said “I even got you a new one after”

“I think it was Shuhua who introduced me to Minnie, right?” Miyeon asked, looking at the younger who nodded while eating. “She came to me and said ‘ _ Miyeon-Unnie, there’s someone who really wants to talk to you _ ’ and just started to drag me away”

“You kidnapped her” Minnie said, shocked as she didn’t know that detail. 

Shuhua shrugs. “You said she was cute so…” She looks at Yuqi “And Yuqi replaced me with Soyeon that night too so I was alone during the whole thing”

“I was making new friends!” Yuqi defended herself. 

“What did you even do that night? I remember finding you sleeping on the grass in the backyard hugging a bottle” Minnie said between laughs. “Then Miyeon carried you like a little baby to one of the rooms”

“She became my baby right there,” Miyeon said, trying to pat Shuhua’s head, who moved away. 

“I gave my very first kiss that night” Shuhua admitted, with a smirk while all of them but Soojin gasped at that. 

“Your first kiss!?” Miyeon, Minnie and Yuqi said, surprised.

“You kissed for the first time when you’re 17?” That was Soyeon.

“I’m surprised someone wanted to kiss you” and that, of course, was Soojin.

“Who kissed you?” Yuqi asked. 

Shuhua shrugs again. “I have no idea,” she admitted, with a laugh. "I think I was too drunk to remember, I drank some beer I guess? I think Tae was the one who sneaks beer into the party"

"Yeah, I remember Miyeon lecturing him for 10 minutes straight once she realized Shuhua was drunk" Yuqi laughed. 

Soyeon joined. "It was so funny! She was so mad but still wanted to be respectful so she kept on using honorifics"

" _ Oppa! Are You Crazy?! _ " Minnie said, Imitating Miyeon. " _ She's only a baby! _ "

"Hey!" Miyeon complained. "Don't laugh, I was being a responsible adult!"

"Yeah, but I guess he was the one who didn't care about being responsible that night" Shuhua laughs. "He was graduating that year."

Soojin turned to Miyeon and Minnie. "Please don't get too crazy on your graduation year" 

"No promises," Minnie replied and then she snapped her fingers. "I also remember Miss Yeh Shuhua here wanted to confess to her crush back then!"

Shuhua stared at her with wide eyes, not expecting Minnie to suddenly remember that. "Excuse me, don't expose me in front of strangers" She pointed at Soojin and Miyeon. 

"I'm your mom-friend?" Miyeon said.

"and I'm your enemy," Soojin added, lifting her eyebrows "We're not strangers, Shuhua."

"She never got to confess" Yuqi said "Actually, she gave up and then ran away to the pool" 

" _ Don't tell them that! Makes me look weak! _ " Shuhua said, in mandarin and Yuqi laughed.

" _ They would know sooner or later _ " The other replied.

"Hey! Don't talk in secret in front of us" Soojin complained. "Also, you ran away? oh my god this is hilarious-"

"There's no shame in being shy!" Miyeon quickly defended the younger. 

"I already got over her anyway," Shuhua replied, rolling her eyes.

" _ No, You didn't _ " Yuqi said, once again in their mother language.

"I'm gonna beat you up, Song Yuqi!"

**.**

**.**

**.**

She didn't beat Yuqi up, she couldn't. The girl was too cute and the blonde hair just made her even cuter like a little angel, and as expected she wasn't happy when Shuhua told her that, saying that she wanted the new hair to make her look cooler like Soojin; Then Shuhua argued that if Yuqi was anything like Soojin, they couldn't be friends anymore.

"I think Soojin-Unnie is cool," Yuqi said, once they’re in class together."She has that intimidating vibe and- what's with that look?" She asked, noticing Shuhua glaring at her.

"Don't compliment her, she's awful" 

"That's not true, she helped me with my hair," Yuqi said. "She even told me how to take care of it-"

"I hope you get bald"

"Yeh Shuhua!" Yuqi laughs and then pushes her, "That's not nice to say to your best friend!" 

"It is when your best friend is befriending your enemy" 

"She's not your enemy, more like… your frenemy"

"We're not friends" Shuhua arches an eyebrow. "I would rather eat rotten strawberries than be friends with Soojin"

"My point is! Soojin-Unnie looks cool and I wanna look not cute" Yuqi said. "I wanna look cool like Soojin-Unnie"

"What's the appeal in Soojin anyways?" Shuhua asked, ignoring the teacher arriving into their class. "Like, woah she's a blonde cheerleader, how original. I just have seen this a thousand times everytime I pick up a generic movie"

"Well she's nice-"

"She tries to  _ choke  _ me"

"She's patient"

"She threw her  _ shoe  _ at me!"

"She's also really pretty"

"...If that's your type, sure" 

Their talk was interrupted by the teacher starting his class and so they had to stay silent while Shuhua crossed her arms; Yeah everyone loved Seo Soojin, but that doesn’t mean she deserved any of that.

**.**

**.**

**.**

Soojin concluded that going for the auditorium earlier was a good idea, that means getting job done sooner and leaving earlier as well, plus not having to hear Shuhua complaining about how she was late every time she walked into the room, this day she was surprised by seeing Shuhua on her hands and knees on the floor, trying to reach for something under the piano. 

The older approached her slowly, as she tries to figure out what the younger was doing, but could tell she was struggling with something; Soojin stood behind Shuhua and had to cover her mouth with the palm of her hand as she watched the taiwanesse wiggle her butt, the image was hilarious.

“Do you need help?” She asks and hears how the girl squeaks and then the loud sound of her hitting her head on the bottom of the piano. “Looks like you’re struggling”

“Seo Soojin, You’re such a-” She groans before proceeding to do what she was doing before. 

“I’m not the one shaking my ass right now” Soojin crouches next to Shuhua and tries to look under the piano. “What are you doing?”

“Hui told me that the seniors from last year did a fake bottom under the piano to hide some booze-”

“You’re not going to drink!” Soojin quickly said, in her unnie mode, it was a rare moment when she used it especially with Shuhua.

“No you idiot, I’m not drinking. He put some snacks for me here and now I can’t get this thing open and can’t move the freaking piano either.”

“I didn’t know you talked to Hui…”Soojin then said and could tell Shuhua just shrugged.

“I talk with everyone, It's called being a extroverted”

Soojin heard the doors of the auditorium open and some of the theater boys walked in talking with each other and she quickly looked down at Shuhua who then gasped as she felt the cheerleader's arms around her waist tightly. 

"Woah woah woah, I know you have a thing for me, but please don't act on your feelings in the auditorium" The girl said right away, mostly to avoid her own embarrassment at the sudden gesture.

"Don't be an idiot," Soojin said, "There's boys here and you're in a skirt and not in the best position" 

Shuhua then realized Soojin had wrapped her jacket around her waist. 

"That's oddly nice coming from the devil" Shuhua mumbled, grumpy as she remembered Yuqi's words from earlier. "Ugh I can't get this thing open!" She complains, finally backing away from it. "I might as well ask him to open it for me later" 

"You're… gonna call Hui here?" Soojin asked, trying to sound as natural as possible. 

Shuhua stares at her, serious."Oh yeah… You have a thing for the dude" 

"I don't!" Soojin replied, not knowing why she felt like defending herself from Shuhua's words. Isn't like she didn't already tell Soyeon about it.

Shuhua looked at her up and down. "Yeah sure."

"I really don't!"

"Whatever" Shuhua stood up, "Did you practice your lines?" The taiwanesse asked, changing the subject.

"Yeah, But…"

“What?”

"I don't understand some of the words" Shuhua frowns, "I mean, they aren't korean" 

“It’s cause the character is taiwanesse”

There's silence.

Shuhua continues. “Why do you think I wanted the role?”

“Is this your self-insert?” Soojin asked “Is that why she doesn’t get her lover in the end?” She teased. Shuhua rolled her eyes.

“First, No. Second, You’re Ridiculous”

Soojin didn’t respond as more people were walking in and she would rather not have a fight in front of them, for now at least. 

Things were working good so far, especially with Shuhua bossing everyone around so much, she felt like they have done much more work in such a short time, but they still have to decide who would be her character’s lover would be, as well as find someone in charge of the sound effects and other things Soojin didn’t quite understand; 

“I’ll help with your pronunciation later” It’s all Shuhua tells her before leaving Soojin to read the script on her own; Focusing on the other girls, from the volleyball team, who looked at the girl with sickening heart eyes that had Soojin almost making a disgusted face.

What’s with them? Soojin thought; Did Shuhua put a spell on them so they would see her like this goddess or something? She never understood their fascination with her. 

She looked down on her script and frowned. ‘ _ What does ‘baobei’ even mean? _ ’

**.**

**.**

**.**

  
  


“ _ Baobei _ ”

“ _ Pabo?” _

Shuhua squints her eyes. Soojin tries not to laugh. She didn’t want to miss the opportunity to mess with the younger. 

"Stop messing with me or I'll not help you anymore" 

"Right, Right" Soojin rolled her eyes. "You're so bossy" 

Shuhua ignored that and proceeded to help the older with some of the words, obviously she had difficulty with some but was quick to learn.

"Good Job" She heard Shuhua say, and she couldn't help but smile at the compliment, Even if Shuhua didn't even seem to notice she had said nice words to her 'enemy' since her eyes are still focused on the text in her hands. 

"Anyways, It's getting late" Soojin suddenly said, as Shuhua kept on reading. "Here was I thinking coming earlier would mean getting out even earlier" She noticed the younger one not paying attention to her and quickly grabbed the script from her hands. 

"Hey!"

"Are you going to stay?"

Shuhua nods.

"Who's gonna take you home? You father again?"

"I'm going with Yuqi," Shuhua replied. Which was true, she was just waiting for the girl to show up. “Which reminds me I’m still upset at you for making her dye her hair”

"I didn't make her dye her hair, Also is she not allowed to dye it?" Soojin asked, crossing her arms and Shuhua rolled her eyes. 

"I don't see why she would do that"

"I do, Yuqi likes someone" Shuhua looked at the cheerleader, surprised."It's Soyeon, they're always together and now she wants to impress her"

"She shouldn't change herself to get someone to like her" Shuhua complained "and it isn't like Soyeon ain't already head over heels for her already" 

"Stop complaining already" Soojin picked up her stuff. "If she's happy with it then let her" Her phone buzzed and Shuhua watches as she checks it out "Well, that's my cue to leave" she said and then points at Shuhua "Go home" 

"Yeah, Yeah. Just leave" Shuhua replied as she watched the cheerleader leave.

"Until tomorrow" She heard her say before closing the door and Shuhua shakes her head, relieved she's gone but then she looks at her lap and realizes:

' _ She forgot her jacket. _ '


	13. Chapter 13

"1, 2, 3-" 

Soojin was on the field practicing with the cheerleaders as always, getting their steps done and making sure everyone would memorize it; That day was oddly warm and with a clean sky, so they needed constant breaks to drink some water and cool down before going back to their practice. 

The games at the end of the year is where Soojin would have to showcase their moves while keeping a smile on her face as she pretends to cheer for Shuhua as she gets their school a new trophy; Even if she dislikes the girl, she still expects a victory from her in every game, she proved herself useful enough for that and Soojin knows that's why the principal is so willing to let her do whatever with the team's practices. 

"Okay, just one more time" She says, looking back at the other cheerleaders who nod and follow along her steps; As difficulty as it could be they managed to get it done properly that day; Soojin frowns as she hears clapping behind them and look behind, frowning when she notices Shuhua standing by the bleaches.

"Good job, girls. You guys looking good" The captain said, with a smirk which made the cheerleader squad smile and giggle. Soojin groans, irritated as she approaches the other girl. 

"I told you I don't want you in here" Soojin complained looking up to the taiwanese.

"Technically you can't stop me from coming here, I also study here remember" The other teased while the rest of the squad watched carefully, waiting for Soojin to snap at any point and start with the physical aggression of always. 

"Do you like being an annoyance so much?!" Soojin said. "I don't want you here"

"Why not? You come see the basketball practices with Miyeon all the time" 

"I don't flirt with the basketball team!" Soojin said, climbing the bleachers, Shuhua laughed at how quick her face became red when she's upset."You come here to distract my team"

"Now, It's not my fault I'm so charming" She leans to the side and winks at the girls who cover their mouths to keep themselves from giggling and provoking Soojin's fury even more.

Which doesn't work by the way she grabbed Shuhua by the collar of her shirt, and so Soyeon, who was watching everything in silence, quickly made her way to them.

"Okay, stop stop. Do not try to murder her" 

"Soyeon-Unnie, You're the only one who loves me as always" Shuhua said, still smiling and the other sighs. The girl really enjoyed pushing Soojins buttons for no reason. "But I think Soojin's attraction for me is too strong for her to keep her hands away" She finally added.

"Okay, That's it!" She heard Soojin finally say. 

**.**

**.**

**.**

"Back in my days-" The nurse started and Soojin fought back the urge to roll her eyes as that wasn't something polite to do in front of her elders. "Girls didn't get so physical when fighting."

"She's such a brute, ma'am" She heard Shuhua complain and took a deep breath to stop herself from answering her obvious provocations. "She looks so sweet, but look what she did to me"

She might have used much more brute force than intended, Soojin could admit that; Throwing Shuhua's off the bleachers was stupid and she could've gotten seriously hurt if they weren't close to the ground already, plus the girl pulled Soojin along her so they both end up full of scratches and she had to endure Soyeon panicking because of Shuhua's bleeding forehead, which now has a dog themed bandaid on it, matching her big puppy eyes;

“I’ll go get something” The nurse said as she made her way to the door before looking at them “Do not fight inside the infirmary, please”

“Of course ma’am” Shuhua said with her sweet smile and big shiny eyes “I’m not one to start fights” She said, and Soojin took a deep breath and stayed in silence until the woman finally left and the two of them were alone, each in one bed, next to each other while Shuhua was looking at her with that smug smirk on her lips that made Soojin want to slap her. “Alone at last” she heard the younger one say.

So she threw her pillow at her.

“Hey! Hey! So aggressive” Shuhua said, laughing as she holds the pillow like it’s a shield in case the other tries to throw anything else. “Why is it so easy to get you upset?”

“Because you’re annoying” Soojin replied right away, crossing her arms and deciding to ignore the girl so they wouldn’t get into further trouble, however every time she looked at Shuhua’s face she felt like pushing her away; Then Soojin closes her eyes and laid down on the bed, facing the ceiling as Shuhua kept on looking at her, waiting for a new offense that didn’t come so she also laid down on the bed and stared at the ceiling, holding the pillow Soojin threw at her in her arms, noticing that it smells like cherry. 

“I’m sorry” The younger lifted her head from the bed and looked at Soojin who wasn’t looking at her and kept her eyes closed. 

“What?”

Soojin sighs. “I said… I’m sorry; I overstepped the boundaries, You could’ve gotten actually hurt back there”

Shuhua didn’t know how to answer such an honest apology so she just mumbled a rushed “That’s okay” before awkwardly staring at the ceiling again; The mood had oddly shifted into something else she wasn’t quite sure she knew what it was, so she just stayed quiet and Soojin did the same. 

Shuhua doesn’t know why she felt like panicking a little, she wasn’t sure she liked the silence between them at the moment.

“Soojin?”

“What?”

“My forehead still hurts” The girl started, looking at the blonde who opens her eyes and turns to look at Shuhua, with a frown. Shuhua wondered if she was worried.

“Yeah?”

“You can kiss it better”

**.**

**.**

**.**

“And that’s why I have two bandaids on my forehead” Shuhua said, finishing her explanation while Yuqi just looked at her in complete silence.

“Why would you say that to her?”

“I was trying to lift the mood!”

“You just like to make her upset”

Shuhua couldn’t deny that, seeing Soojin upset was pretty funny; She would get red and puff up her cheeks, not to mention how she would speak really fast and how quick her voice would get into a higher pitched tone. It was hilarious in several ways and Shuhua couldn’t help but find a lot of amusement in that, but being assaulted by her wasn’t always worth it; Which was the case right now.

How would she explain these to her parents?

“I heard someone got physical proof that Seo Soojin hates her” She heard Minnie’s voice behind them and leaned back against her chair, leaning her head back and seeing the older behind her, leaning on the chair with a smile on her face and then gasping when she saw her forehead. “Damn, she really did leave some marks” She poked one of the bandaids, making Shuhua whine.

“Unnie!”

“It’s what you get for starting fights,” Minnie said, sitting between Shuhua and Yuqi, looking at the taiwanese with a smile. “You know, keep acting like this and you’ll never get a girlfriend”

“Excuse me” Shuhua sounded offended. “All I need to do is wink and I would have any girl I I wanted”

"Yeah? Then why don't you?" The older girl asked and Shuhua looked away, she knew why; She already liked someone else, and her feelings weren't going away as easily as she expected; She worried that they were actually becoming stronger.

"I just don't want to date anyone right now" She lied.

"Sure, Sure" Minnie said, before turning to Yuqi. "And you-"

"What?" 

"When are you going to date Soyeon?" Yuqi looked at Minnie in shock while Shuhua looked away covering her mouth to keep herself from laughing while the chinese girl started to blush.

"We're just friends!" Yuqi argued, trying her best not to stutter as she felt embarrassment get to her, starting to get annoyed at how Shuhua was laughing at the whole thing. "She doesn't like me like that!"

" _ She doesn't like me like that, _ " Shuhua repeated, mocking the other as she and Minnie laughed.

"Keep laughing, Yeh Shuhua, and I'm gonna tell Minnie-Unnie who your crush is," Yuqi said and Minnie gasps, turning to Shuhua.

"You have a crush?!" Minnie gasps louder. "Is it the same as before?!"

"Anyways-" Shuhua started, as she picks her stuff up and once she opens her backpack she notices Soojin's jacket there, remembering why she went to the field in the first place, to give it back. "I have important things to do"

"Hey, don't leave us hanging" 

"Sorry, ladies… duty call!" She quickly made her way out, successfully avoiding that conversation; Last thing she wanted was to talk about crushes and all that stuff. She didn’t need that stress right now.

She made her way back to the field knowing that the cheerleaders should be still practicing by this time, or at least taking their 20 minutes break to gossip about the other students as always, Shuhua was always wondering how in the world they knew so much about everyone in school, and a bit worried about her own secrets ending up on their hands; Definitely not a good thing.

She should probably stop bringing her notebook to school just in case.

“Hey, girls” She greets, approaching the group. “Where’s Soojin?”

“Back for another beating, Shuhua?” One of them asks, as they laugh and Shuhua does as well.

“No, No… I just need to talk to her” She explained with a smile, ignoring some of them sighing dreamily, She was used to people, especially girls, reacting to her like that. “Have you seen her?”

“She left early, probably wasn’t feeling well to keep practice-”

“Ok, I’ll go see her”

“You know where she lives?” The girls were rightfully surprised.

“Yeah,” Shuhua said, simply before she waved goodbye at the group. “and don’t worry, I won’t tell Soojin you guys talked to me. It will be our secret” she says before winking and turning around, ignoring the girls giggling behind her.


	14. Chapter 14

Shuhua knew Soojin's address thanks to Miyeon giving it to her last year, the older insisted they should know each other’s address just in case, for an emergency or something, and Shuhua thought she sounded and acted like an overprotective parent, always thinking of the possibilities of one of them needed a place to go; But even then, after knowing Soojin’s address, she never actually went to the other's house before so couldn't deny she was a bit nervous about showing up there all of sudden, but she also wanted to give back her jacket, she couldn't let the other think she would just keep the clothing for herself; She feels like she had given Soojin enough reasons to hate her, supposed theft wasn't going to be one of them. 

She stopped in front of the house, for some reason it was nothing like she imagined when she tried to picture Soojin's house, it looks very welcoming and warm, from the little homemade garden outside to the family drawn on the mailbox to the baby blue walls. It felt inviting. Unlike the cheerleader who was always ready to attack her. 

She made her way to the door and knock three times and waited on her spot until a blonde woman opened the door and Shuhua felt like she was given a preview of how Soojin was going to look like in at least 5 or 6 years; She knew the girl had an older sister so she wasn't surprised, but still had to restrain herself from obviously looking at her up and down. 

"Hello" She finally says as she bows. "I'm Soojin's classmate. Is she there, I need to talk to her" She said, remembering to smile and make sure to be polite. Soojin might hate her but she was still trying to make a good impression on her family, starting with her sister. 

"Oh, you're Shuhua right? She's in the backyard; You can just go right in" She says, combing her blonde hair back with her hands and Shuhua almost tripped on her feet as she made her way inside because she was staring at her. "Soojin talks about you a lot"

That surprised the girl. "Really?"

"Yeah, she said you're her enemy or something" The woman said as she guided her to the backyard. "But Soyeon told me that's an inside joke between you two tho"

"Ah…" Shuhua laughs, relieved that Soyeon made up an excuse for her, not to say, a whole lie. "Yeah… It's… a joke we have" 

"There you go, she's outside" The older said, opening the backdoor while Shuhua made her way out to talk to Soojin.

Shuhua found Soojin inside the pool, floating on the water in her bikini and the younger felt her whole body froze on the spot as she saw the girl relaxing, so she could conclude the whole thing about not feeling well was just a lie to leave earlier. She loudly coughs to get her attention but the other seemed to not hear her so Shuhua awkwardly stood around by the door, staring at her before taking a deep breath.

' _ crap. my hands are shaking; It's okay Shuhua! no need to be nervous _ ' She thought to herself. 

"Hey, S-Soojin!" She calls, hating how she stutters the other's name; Soojin lifts her head from the water and stares at where the voice came from, squinting once she sees Shuhua.

"What the hell?" She stops floating and swims to the edge of the pool. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to bring your jacket back" The younger replied and Soojin remembers how she forgot to get it back from her, in fact she didn’t even remember she left it with the girl. 

"Came here then" Soojin said and Shuhua gulped.

"I'm fine, I'll just leave it by the chair-" She vaguely gestured at the chair by the table near the backyard’s porch; Soojin rolled her eyes as she lifted herself off the pool, grabbing the towel from the floor and walking towards Shuhua as she dried her own hair. 

“Why are you in such a hurry?” The older asked, arching one eyebrow. “Don’t worry I don’t plan on physically hurting you… as much as I already did”

“That’s not it” And it really wasn’t but Shuhua isn’t quite sure she could explain to Soojin the source of her anxiousness without feeling ridiculous about it, and they aren’t close enough to keep the other from mocking her for it so she just kept on playing the role of always. “You’re just too hot and it’s distracting me”

Soojin slapped her shoulder right away.

“Just because I said I wouldn’t hurt you doesn’t give you a pass to annoy me” she said followed by another slap which made Shuhua quickly move away from the other, only for Soojin to use her towel to hit the younger. “I swear you-”

“Hey kids” Both turned back to the door and saw Soojin’s sister there with two drinks. “It’s a hot day so-”

“You didn’t need to bring her anything, she doesn’t deserve it” Soojin said, crossing her arms and Shuhua gasps, holding Soojin’s towel in her hands. 

“Soojin- _ unnie _ ” She could hear the mockery in the younger’s voice. “You’ll deny me a cool drink on a hot day like this?”

“Soojin, don’t be mean to your friend”

Soojin looks at the older in shock; There’s no way the little devil beside her had already charmed her way into her family like this, and she now hated she let Soyeon tell them that their titles of enemies was just a joke between the group but knowing her parents and her sister, there would be a chance of them going into the school and making more drama out of this than necessary.

“She was about to leave anyways-”

“I was?”

Soojin glared at her who smiled sweetly at her, batting her eyes.

2 minutes later and they’re sitting together, outside near the pool while drinking the orange juice Soojin’s sister made, Shuhua had this please smile on her lips while she drank; As for Soojin she just chose to ignore the younger who once in a while would look back to the house, checking if Soojin’s sister was close.

“Take a picture of her, Might last longer” She heard Soojin say, clearly annoyed. “Also, don’t you have to go back to school”

“I do” Shuhua replied with a smile. “There will be no practices for the play today so I’ll be practicing double with the basketball team”

“I wasn’t being serious,” Soojin said. “You fell pretty bad, maybe you shouldn’t practice-”

Shuhua laughs. “That was nothing” She took one final sip from her drink. "Everyday is a good day to work hard" She stood up and Soojin stayed on her chair, slowly drinking her own juice. “See you at school tomorrow”

“Yeah… Yeah…”She mumbles, ignoring the feeling of discomfort inside her chest as she watches Shuhua make her way out; She shouldn’t worry that much about what Shuhua does with her life, but she can’t help but notice the younger looks more and more tired as the days go by and as much as doesn’t see her as a close friend, doesn’t mean she wants her to get sick for being too confused on her activities on school. 

Yet, as she saw the girl enter the house to leave, Soojin doesn’t say anything, none of the things she wanted to say; She was too much of a coward to show that she cared about the other, even if a little. 

**.**

**.**

**.**

Yuqi was picking up and putting back some books from her locker, getting ready for the math class when she heard steps coming her way and she turned around in time to see Soyeon coming her way; The chinese girl felt her cheeks blush as she automatically remembered Shuhua and Minnie’s teasing words from early, but decided to ignore them. There was no way Soyeon liked her that way.

“Hey” She quickly greets the older, before closing her locker. “What’s up?” She asked, awkwardly scratching the back of her neck; Wishing those two idiots didn’t bring those supposed feelings Soyeon had for her before, now she felt awkward around her. 

It was like middle school all over again, this time with a different girl. 

“Hey” Well, at least she wasn’t the only one awkward, she could tell by the way the other looks so nervous. “Y-You’re going to your class right now?”

Soyeon immediately wanted to face palm. Of course she was going to her class, she had her books and every time, why would she even question that; Then again she was nervous, she had finally gathered some courage to ask the other girl out. 

“Huh… Yeah?” Yuqi replied, confused by the question. “We’re at school, Soyeon-unnie” she decided to tease so the mood doesn’t feel so awkward. Shuhua always says that joking around helps to lift things up, even if every time she does that, with Soojin nowadays, she ends up being attacked. Hopefully Soyeon wasn’t like Soojin.

“I was thinking if you wanted to go out-”

“Yuqi!” They both turned around to see Shuhua in the hallway, beckoning Yuqi over with her finger. “Let’s go before we get late”

“Ah, Yeah!” The girl quickly said and then gave Soyeon a hug. “Sorry, I’ll have to go now but you can tell me what it was later” She said with a smile before following Shuhua around; Soyeon loved Shuhua, but right now she wanted to slap the younger for interrupting when she was about to ask Yuqi out. 

“You don’t look so good” She heard Minnie, attached to Miyeon’s hip as always, say as they approached the girl about to have a meltdown near the lockers. “Yuqi rejected you?”

“No” The other mumbled. “Shuhua interrupted before I could even get a rejection”

“Should’ve just asked before she left” It was Miyeon who said this time.

“It’s just…” Soyeon vaguely gestures with her hands and both older girls look at her in confusion. “Yuqi and Shuhua are always together, It’s hard to ask her out… I get embarrassed”

“You get embarrassed?” Miyeon ask

“To ask Yuqi out in front of Shuhua?” Minnie added.

“Shuhua said several times they are like sisters; I feel awkward- Hey! Don’t laugh at me! It’s a genuine worry!” She said as the couple started to laugh. She should've said anything to them if she knew they were going to act like that.

“Okay, Okay; I have a plan,” Minnie started. “Tomorrow, we’ll make sure to keep Shuhua busy and away from Yuqi”

Miyeon seemed to get her idea right away. “And in the meantime you can find some courage to ask Yuqi out since you’re-” she laughs. “Shy to do it around others”

“What did I say about laughing!” The younger one complained, but wasn’t against the idea at all; It seemed like a good plan.

What could possibly go wrong?


	15. Chapter 15

Shuhua didn't see herself as a workaholic. 

She was hardworking.

But sometimes she goes overboard or so is what others say, Shuhua doesn't see it. If there's work to be done, she'll do it no matter what and doesn't get how that's a flaw.

"You look like shit" Yuqi said as Shuhua came out of the house, tying her hair.

"Good morning to you as well, thank you for declaring your love for me so early, in the morning. " Shuhua replied right away while Yuqi laughed, both making their way to school. "I couldn't sleep last night. I had nightmares"

"Oh… You wanna talk about them?" Yuqi asked.

"Don't worry, It was just trivial stuff." She quickly said, not wanting Yuqi to be worried."I kept dreaming about someone wanting to dye my hair. It was very stressful" She whines.

Yuqi had to laugh at that. "It's not that bad"

"Ok, soon-to-be bald"

"Hey, I've only dyed my hair once!" The other complained and then quietly gasped. "Remember when Minnie-Unnie dyed her hair?" 

Shuhua frowns. "Those were dark times indeed"

"Oh my god, you're so dramatic. Pink hair was her color" 

"It was." Shuhua agreed, she did look good, fit her bubbly personality and she totally stood out in the sea of students but the younger still preferred the natural hair color. "She looked cool."

"Oh she looked  _ cool _ , But if I do it, it's cute" Yuqi complained and Shuhua giggled, hands in her pockets. "That's some double standard"

Then the younger thought of something. "You think Miyeon will make anything for this year's halloween? Like she did last year when we met" 

"Miyeon-Unnie said something about it to me" Yuqi kicks some pebbles out of her way as they walk. "I think she plans to just get us to hang out at her house instead of an actual huge party."

"Why?"

"Because you got wasted last time and she's worried about it" Yuqi stated the obvious and Shuhua rolled her eyes."You know she likes to take care of you"

“Well, she shouldn’t. I’m not a child” Shuhua complained before yawning, Yuqi pulled her close. “I’m still sleepy!” She complained while Yuqi patted her shoulder. 

**.**

**.**

**.**

“Are you serious?” Soojin asked, leaning against her locker, which was next to Soyeon’s who was now staring at her after rolling her eyes at the question. “You just can’t ask Yuqi out because of Shuhua? God, You’re pathetic”

“Excuse me, your first kiss was an accident and you want to call me pathetic” Soyeon replied, frowning.

"Don't bring my first kiss into this! It was middle school!" Soojin says, crossing her arms.

It was a both memorable and embarrassing moment in her life; A girl from another class who was running to excited and bumped on Soojin, lips touching for a quick second but enough for Soyeon to make fun of her since that day; She still claims that the other girl did it on purpose but the head cheerleader said that was all in her head. 

"I just need you guys to keep the little hurricane that is Shuhua distracted from Yuqi for a few" Soyeon said. "You of all people can keep Shuhua distracted pretty well"

"Me? How?"

"I dunno… tell her she would look better with blonde hair or something, that's enough to get her in a mood"

"So you're giving me permission to attack her" Soojin said, wanting to make sure; Soyeon squinted her eyes and lifted one finger.

"Verbally"

"Oh Well. I take what I can get" The other shrugs and then looks towards the entrance. “Speaking of the devil, she’s there with the love of your life” Soojin said pointing at Shuhua and Yuqi.

“Oh my god, shut up! Don’t say that out loud”

“So you admit it” Soojin laughs “She is the love of your life”

“Soojin!!”

“Fine, Fine. I’m going” She rolled her eyes. “The things I do for this friendship”

She made her way towards the chaotic duo, she was impressed by how loud those too could be every time they walked in, talking to every single person in the hallway with big smiles on their faces. Yuqi and Shuhua always looked like the definition of sunshine; However, Soojin couldn't help but notice the eyebags under Shuhua's eyes despite her big smile, they have been getting more evident in the past few days since the girl doesn't seem to understand what rest means. 

"Hey kids" She said, approaching then, putting one arm around Yuqi's shoulder, ruffling her blonde hair with her other hand. "Soyeon needs to talk to you"

"Oh…" She turned to Shuhua. "Let's go then-"

"Actually" Soojin interrupted. "I need to talk to Shuhua, but you can go ahead" She added with a smile; Yuqi looks confused for a second before she shrugs and makes her way towards Soyeon, who was waiting by the lockers; Soojin smiles and then finally looks at Shuhua who's looking back at her, looking suspicious. "What?" 

"What do you  _ really  _ want?" The Taiwanese asked. Soojin froze for a second, she didn't really think of an excuse to keep Shuhua from going after Yuqi and possibly ruin Soyeon's courage to ask the girl out. 

"uh… I actually wanted you to help me with my lines" She said, knowing that the best way to get Shuhua's attention was work. Which worked, judging by the shine in her eyes.

"Really?" She asked, glad that Soojin was finally taking a liking for the play, enough to want to practice so early in the morning even. "Sure, I can help" She said with a smile and the cheerleader felt a little guilty for lying, as the younger was now dragging her to the auditorium while ranting about how she was going to make sure she would remember her lines.

"What do you need help with? Is it the pronunciation again?" She asked as they walked into the auditorium, Shuhua's hand still holding Soojin's wrist as she drags the older to the front row of chairs. 

"Yes" She lied, The pronunciation was just fine, She made sure to practice the night before just to avoid having to spend more time than necessary with Shuhua in the auditorium; She watched as Shuhua sit next to her, searching for something in her bag, most likely the copy of the script. 

In her hurry, however, she dropped her notebook on the floor and Soojin tilts her head to the side as she notices some pages with dates on the top and some sketches. 

' _ Is that a diary? _ ' She thought, reaching for it without thinking, But Shuhua was quick and grabbed it first, closing it right away. 

"That's mine" She said, and Soojin lifted her hands as if to surrender.

"Sorry" She said right away, not wanting to upset her and have her leave, she needed to distract her after all, she glanced at her headband. "I thought you only wore that for practice" She said pointing at her forehead. 

Shuhua frowns, most likely confused by Soojin making so much small talk. "I'm wearing it so my parents didn't see the bandaids and made questions" Shuhua replied, casually as her hands fixed. Soojin gulps, suddenly imagining the possibility of having to endure a lecture from the younger's parents for hurting their daughter. "They would be upset I got into a fight" 

"I see." Soojin moves in her seat. "I'm sorry-"

"You don't have to apologize again" Soojin watches as Shuhua puts the notebook back into her backpack as she has the script on her other hand; She couldn't lie and say that the younger's reaction didn't trigger her curiosity about what was in that diary, she could only assume it was things Shuhua for sure did not want anyone to see. 

She thinks back about her words of a few days ago, yet again. Shuhua was in love with someone, but who?

' _ Is that what your diary is about? Do you write about her? _ ' She thought, staring at Shuhua who was talking about whatever was on the script, but then stopped once she noticed the blonde just staring at her and with a frown she waves her hand in front of Soojin, making her snap out of her thoughts.

"Seo Soojin, You're being weird" Shuhua said. "Have you finally fallen in love with me?" She mocked but the other didn't reply so she frowns, trying to understand why the girl was being so weird that day.

"Did you sleep last night? You look like a zombie" Soojin pointed out, the girl looks tired. 

"Why are you trying to make small talk?" Shuhua crossed her arms.

"Why are you avoiding my question?"

"Why are  _ you  _ avoiding  _ my _ question?"

They stared at each other in silence before Shuhua sighes, frustrated as she gets up to leave, picking up her stuff and putting the script back into her backpack, Soojin grunts remembering she has to keep the girl here for a while and so she grabbed Shuhua by her arm and pulled her back, making the girl end up falling across her lap, Soojin loudly grunted with the impact but kept the younger in place.

"What is wrong with you today?!" Shuhua asked, looking up to Soojin.

"I-"

"Are we interrupting something?" They looked back at the auditorium entrance and saw the Mimin couple looking at them, Minnie was in the front looking concerned about what she just walked into while Miyeon was behind her covering her mouth yet both Shuhua and Soojin could tell she was smiling, having way too much fun with this. 

"No!" It's Shuhua who says, quickly getting up. "Soojin is being weird and-" She looks at the cheerleader and then back to the couple, but more specifically Miyeon. "She grabbed me and put me into her lap by force"

"Soojin!" Miyeon said, having the reaction Shuhua expected and wanted. "Shuhua is just a baby"

"It wasn't like that!" The blonde defended herself, hating how the younger's face didn't even flinch as she lied, that is until Minnie shakes her head.

"Miyeon, don't be silly. Of course Shuhua's lying just to make you lecture Soojin" Minnie said, walking towards their younger and ruffling her hair, which makes Shuhua finally crack and laugh as she moves away from Minnie who laughs as well. "You're such a little snake"

"Hey, Don't encourage her lying" Miyeon said, crossing her arms and then pointing at Shuhua. "And you, don't lie about this kind of stuff" 

"What are you? My mom?"

"Yes" 

"No fighting, no fighting" Minnie said, arm around Shuhua's shoulders as she looked down to the younger. "I have an idea… what if we play a bit for our girls to watch?" She asks and Shuhua frowns. 

"I don't have a girl" 

"Soojin can-"

"Like hell I am" Soojin said but then noticed the way Minnie looked at her and understood she should just play along. "Fine, whatever" 

"You guys are being weird," Shuhua said. "And you just got rid of your knee pad" She looks up to Minnie who chuckles.

"Don't worry, we'll just play a bit, nothing that can cause harm" 

"Okay-"

  
  


**.**

**.**

**.**

Soojin doesn't understand how Miyeon had the patience to sit by the bleachers and watch Minnie play. It's probably because she watched them play so much, having to cheer while they're at it that she kinda got sick of it plus she didn't exactly care about the sport, she didn't understand half of what's going on.

"Do we really need to do all of this just to distract Shuhua? What are we? Her babysitters?" Soojin asked, leaning next to Miyeon who laughed.

"It's not what bad! It's fun"

"Watching someone else play is not fun, You're just in love" Soojin replied, crossing her arms as she was getting more and more bored. "Did you know Shuhua is in love?" She then asked, out of nowhere. Miyeon looks at her with wide eyes. "Well, guess you didn't know"

"She's what?! She's so young!"

"Oh, Please." Soojin rolled her eyes, ignoring Shuhua complaining to Minnie in the back. "But I don't think she's seeing anyone"

"That I know," Miyeon said. "Shuhua promised me that the only woman she would date is Hyuna" 

"I… Understand the feeling but that's not the point here" 

"What?" 

"Don't you ever think about who it is?" Soojin asked. "I gotta confess, I'm pretty curious"

"I-"

"Hey!" They both jumped, startled by Shuhua's voice. "What are you two gossiping about?" 

"We're not gossiping; Mind your business!" Soojin said.

"You're supposed to cheer for me,  _ unnie _ " 

"Don't-"

"Didn't I just say no fighting?" Minnie playfully smacked the younger's head. "Maybe we should take a break tho" She added, as she was starting to get tired.

"I don't need a break, I can keep playing," Shuhua said, with a smirk as she took the ball from Minnie's hands. " _ I'm so young, I'm so young _ " She sang, to tease the older.

"The audacity of this girl," Minnie said as she walked to Miyeon and sat down next to her as they watched Shuhua play around. "Well, at least she's entertained" 

"I hope Soyeon didn't give up otherwise I just wasted my time" Soojin said, watching as Shuhua ran around before throwing the ball, she definitely looked tired but was too stubborn to admit it, especially in front of the others; She threw the ball a few times, before stopping to dry the sweat from her forehead, and Soojin frowns at how out of breath she was.

"Hey, annoyance. Are you good?" She asked, leaning forward to take a better look, Shuhua looked at her and smiled.

"Yeah, I'm great-" Then everything turns dark for Shuhua as she falls on the floor right away, unconscious.


	16. Chapter 16

"This is the second time this week you're here" Shuhua heard the nurse say when she woke up, still dizzy and confused and soon enough there were four people hovering over her with worried faces, she felt Minnie's hand playing with her hand gently. 

"What happened?"

"You passed out while playing," Minnie said, and Shuhua groaned, starting to remember what happened. 

"Are you okay?" She heard Soyeon ask, hand caressing her face. "We ran here right away after some kids from the book club were yelling that you died" She added and Shuhua laughed at that.

"Ah, I gotta love their dedication to lie," Shuhua said, noticing Yuqi holding her hand. "Please tell me you didn't believe I actually died"

"I panicked!" Yuqi said, slapping her hand. 

"I'm ill! don't assault me!" Shuhua complained and then looked around. "Where is Miyeon and Soojin?" She finally asked and they weren't around.

"Soojin went to get some water and took Miyeon with her so she would stop sobbing all over you" Yuqi said. "If I didn't think you were dead before, I would when I walked in and saw the way she was holding you" 

"I felt like watching a drama," Soyeon added as Yuqi laughed.

"She's so dramatic-"

"Hey! She was really worried about you" Minnie said.

As if they were summoned, Both Miyeon and Soojin walked in and as soon as the elder saw that their youngest was awake, she quickly made her way to Shuhua, sitting on the bed and hugging the girl who started to complain right away.

"Shushu! You're okay!!"

"Miyeon! Not in front of the nurse" The younger said, glancing at the woman shaking her head as she reads her magazine. "You're embarrassing me- AH!" She squeals as the other girl starts to kiss her face. 

Minnie laughs at the scene, arms crossed and all, then she looks at Soojin who was still by the door, staring at the whole thing with her usual poker face, far different from the panic in her eyes as she held Shuhua in her arms and calling her name before picking her up and taking her to the infirmary. She supposed that the cheerleader was still a bit shaken up by what happened. 

"Minnie-unnie, Please control your girlfriend!" Shuhua said as Miyeon hugged her tight, not letting the girl move properly; Miyeon only squeezed her more and Shuhua grunts, knowing she won't let go so soon. 

"I called your dad," Yuqi said, holding Shuhua's hand tighter. "He should be here in a few minutes"

"Why would you call him!" Shuhua complained. "He's already stressed with work, he doesn't need any more problems" 

"You're not a problem, you're his child. He'll understand" Soyeon said. But Shuhua just crossed her arms and decided to be grumpy about it; The nurse stood up, checking her watch. 

"Okay girls, back to your classes! only one person can stay with her until her dad arrive so-"

"I'll stay," Soojin said, before Miyeon had the chance to. "If she's too much work I'll make her pass out again" She added and Minnie just rubbed Miyeon's shoulder, as if to tell her to just let Soojin stay. 

"Wait, you guys will actually leave me alone with Soojin?!" Shuhua asked as the cheerleader moved closer to her bed and sat by the chair Minnie was on before. "What if she kills me?"

"Don't be dramatic, we're all going to see you after class at your house," Soyeon said as they left, ignoring Shuhua asking them to stay and protect her. 

Then silence, Shuhua looked at Soojin who was now opening her bag in silence, not looking at Shuhua at all; The younger finally sat on the bed and moved her pillows around so she would be comfortable, thinking that starting small talk would make the awkward silence go away. 

The nurse seemed to notice the uncomfortable silence because she gave some attempt of an excuse to escape the room. She was probably going to smoke outside anyways, everyone knew she does that when she thinks nobody is looking. 

Shuhua snapped out of her thoughts when Soojin placed her lunch box at the edge of the bed and as soon as she opened it, the taiwanese's stomach made a loud noise which resulted in her cheeks turning red, especially when she could tell Soojin was trying not to smile at the sound. She watched as the older picked up her food and was casually eating until she held a boiled egg in front of the younger.

“Open your mouth” It’s all she said and Shuhua stared at her in silence, not knowing how to process. “I know you haven’t been eating properly-”

“Who told you that?”

“I have eyeballs, you’re always in a rush and always leave half of your meal on your tray, you dumbass” Soojin said. “Now, open your mouth or I’ll make you”

She did. Not risking Soojin shoving the chopsticks down her throat by force; Didn’t change much as she almost choked at her lack of gentleness when shoving the egg inside her mouth, face barely changing as she watched Shuhua coughing.

“Are you trying to kill me?!”

“Open your mouth” It’s all she said, holding the rice in front of her.

“Hold on! Let me chew-” She didn’t. “Soojin!” She complained.

“Don’t speak with your mouth full”

“Damn, maybe I should’ve died back then” The younger whines and Soojin frowns.

“You think that’s funny?” She asked, and Shuhua shut her mouth right away; She saw the other angry before, but this time it felt different as Soojin stared at her; She didn’t sound as upset as before, she sounded colder and her voice sent chills down her spine but Shuhua was good at not showing it. “Our friends were worried about you! Miyeon cried her eyes out”

“That’s cause she’s dramatic-”

“No, It’s because she cares!” The older one said. “But it seems you don’t care about how you can hurt the others by being so careless about your health”

“Why are you lecturing me!” The younger raised her voice, then whines as she feels her head hurt, definitely too much action for someone who just woke up from passing out. Soojin seemed to have noticed that because she dropped the conversation, not wanting to stress the other out right now. 

“We may not be friends,” Soojin started, a lot calmer this time as she looks down to her lunch box. “That doesn’t mean It wasn't a terrifying moment to me,” Soojin said. "Do you think It was fun carrying you while you were unconscious?"

Shuhua didn't reply, and just drowned in the sensation of feeling like a child being lectured. 

"Honestly, If you don't care about your own well being, that's on you" Soojin said. "But try and think about your friends and how sad they would be if something worse had happened"

Shuhua has no time to reply as they hear soft knocks on the door and then the nurse walks in, this time with a tall man in a suit following right behind and Soojin can only assume that was Shuhua's father. 

Soojin could definitely see that Shuhua took after her father. 

"Shuhua, what happened?" He quickly made her way to the girl's bed, who waves her hands awkwardly. "Yuqi called me. Are you sick?"

"No, Not at all, Father. Yuqi was exaggerating, you know how she is…"

"She passed out, sir" Soojin said as she stood up, finally making her presence known by the man who so far ignored her.

"Who are you?"

Soojin bowed. "Seo Soojin, sir. I'm-" She looks down to Shuhua and pats her shoulder gently. "I'm Shuhua's friend" she lied.

He only nods and looks down to Shuhua again. "Let's go, your mom is worried." He said before looking at Soojin again, a small smile on his lips that reminds the cheerleader of Shuhua's. "Thank you for giving company to my daughter, Seo Soojin,'' He said as Shuhua was picking up her stuff. "Let's go" He said, with a hand on the taiwanesse's shoulder, gently guiding her outside.

Soojin sat back on her chair and closed her lunch box with a heavy sigh before putting it back. 

That day was too stressful.

**.**

**.**

**.**

"You didn't kill her after all" Soyeon says as Soojin approached her in the parking lot, both watching Mr. Yeh and Shuhua make their way to the car, Yuqi follows along because she wanted to make sure Shuhua was actually okay. "I'm impressed" 

"After today, I'm not really in the mood for fighting her" Soojin replied as she looked at Yuqi waving the man and shuhua goodbye as they drove away. "I hope you had any luck with Yuqi" 

"I asked her out," Soyen said. "But I don't think she has any interest in me," She added as she watched the younger girl make her way back to the school building. 

"Did she tell you that?" Soojin asked. "I mean, did she reject you?"

"Well, no. We sorta got interrupted by the kids yelling that Shuhua died" Soojin tries not to laugh as she pictures that moment happening with no context. "But before that I could tell her reaction wasn't exactly a yes"

"You still have to make things clear with her," Soojin said. "Be honest and all and if she doesn't feel the same then that's fine, you'll move on. You're strong!"

"Have you been reading your mom's inspirational books again?" Soyeon asked, frowning and Soojin chuckled as she playfully pushed her away.

"Shut up! I'm never giving you advice again" 

**.**

**.**

**.**

"Your  _ friend  _ Soojin" Mr. Yeh started once they drove away from the school and Shuhua was now sitting on the backseat, writing down on her notebook before his voice got her attention. "It's a terrible liar" He added, referencing how he could tell that she really wasn't friends with his daughter, and Shuhua laughs as she shakes her head, knowing he could have caught that right away; Her dad was always good at catching lies.

"She is." She said, with a soft smile as she keeps writing down on the pages in silence, making sure to add the date for this one. 

**_October 04, 2018._ **

_ Dear not-a-diary, _

_ Today Seo Soojin took care of me-... _


	17. Chapter 17

"Please, look forward." Yuqi said. "Drive slowly"

"I don't wanna die yet" Soojin added with a smirk as she watches Miyeon trying not to get frustrated.

It was a chaotic ride to Shuhua's house after class, Minnie and Yuqi kept on teasing Miyeon's driving skills, Soojin joining them once in a while so the car isn't filled with awkward silence as Soyeon and Yuqi are sitting together in the backseat with Minnie who seemed to feel the tension between the younger duo. 

"Miyeon, we still need to get married in the future so slow down" It was Minnie this time. 

"Stop distracting me!" The elder of the group complained as the others laughed. "I'm already worried enough"

"why? I already said Shuhua was fine" Soojin said she looks out the window to the houses passing by. 

"I still worry. She's like the little sister I never had!" 

Soojin frowns. "You said I was like the little sister you never had"

Minnie giggles. "There you go, love. You triggered Soojin's jealousy" 

"I'm not jealous!"

"Just keep looking forward unnie!" Soyeon said, worried their bickering would make Miyeon actually crash the car; Meanwhile Soojin and Minnie kept on 'arguing' about the cheerleader's supposed jealousy.

They arrived at the taiwanese's house after a few minutes of bickering inside the car and Soojin threatened to throw Minnie out of the window while Miyeon tried to get them to be quiet, they were so loud without their youngest she could only imagine the volume once they were speaking to her.

Yuqi was the one who knocked at the door while the unnies awkwardly stayed behind, waiting for someone to come out; Then a woman opened the door and smiled as soon as she saw Yuqi, pinching her cheeks as she said something in mandarin, meanwhile the others tried not to laugh at how the younger's cheeks turned pink at the action, especially as her unnies were watching. 

They made her way inside as the woman told them Shuhua was in her room, resting in bed, Soojin looked around in curiosity. There's a lot of pictures around, most of them with Shuhua as a child, she hears Minnie gasps and when she looks at her, she sees the older one pointing at the picture on the wall. 

"Yuqi! Is this you?" Soojin asked, trying not to laugh at the two kids, Shuhua and Yuqi, holding hands as they are dressed in their school uniforms while looking at the camera with their big smiles. "Oh my, You two look adorable"

"They would always make their way to school and back home holding hands" She heard Shuhua's mom say and Soojin smiled as she tried to picture that. It was really adorable.

"Auntie, don't say that!" They laugh at Yuqi's whine. 

"Why do I hear whining?" They heard Shuhua's voice coming from upstairs. "Yuqi is this you?"

They laugh before making their way to the girl's room, finding her in bed while writing something on her notebook, which nade Soojin perk up in curiosity as she watched the younger quickly close it before placing it under herself as Miyeon made her way to the bed, sitting at her side and proceeding to hug her as always. 

Shuhua looked too tired to stop her but was still avoiding her kisses.

"again?" Shuhua complained and Miyeon groaned while the others laughed and sat by the bed. "Don't you get tired?"

"You should appreciate my affection!" Miyeon said. "One day I'll stop and you'll regret not enjoying it while you had it"

Shuhua laughs. "I doubt that" 

"How many Hyuna posters do you have?" Soyeon asked, looking around and noticing the posters on the wall. "Oh! this one has an autograph. I didn't know you've met Hyuna!"

"She didn't," Yuqi said. "She bribed the guy who had the poster to give it to her then she cut his name out" 

"Yuqi! They didn't need to know that" Shuhua complained. "With a friend like you I don't need enemies" She said, rolling her arms while the other laughed.

"But how are you?" Minnie asked while Soyeon kept on looking around with Yuqi showing her some things, the mood between them becoming less awkward now. 

"I'm fine. You guys just overreact-" She stops as she feels Soojin staring at her, thinking about her words before. "Anyways, my mom made me eat a lot and is taking care of me just fine. You guys don't have to worry"

"We'll always worry," Miyeon said."You're our baby!" 

"Baby, Baby" Minnie teased, pinching her cheeks, laughing as Shuhua whines and slaps her hands away. 

**.**

**.**

**.**

Shuhua didn't expect Soojin to be the protective type; At least, she didn't expect for the older to behave like that with her at all. 

Until now.

"Why?" She asked as they were sitting on the floor, at the stage, inside the auditorium; The first class that morning was gym which was canceled due to the rain, so with their first period being free, Shuhua was back to the auditorium to work but not without being followed around by the moody cheerleader who insisted to go with her despite the fact the younger wouldn't do much besides cleaning the place up a bit. 

Now they are chilling, actually chilling, with two bottles of soda near them, as Soojin offered Shuhua a lunch box and the younger noticed she carried two that said so her confusion was evident so she had to question that weird behavior. 

"I don't trust you to follow your mom's words" Soojin said, referencing to the day before when she heard Mrs. Yeh tell Shuhua to eat properly and sleep well. "So I'll make you"

"Why?" Shuhua asked again, but was already opening the lunch box and taking the extra pair of chopsticks that Soojin had given her, she was so focused on cleaning that she didn't notice she was quite hungry so early in the morning; Maybe the girls do have a point and she tends to overwork.

Just maybe. 

"I'm your unnie after all" Soojin replied, casually as she ate. "It's still my duty to take care of you" 

“It’s still weird,” Shuhua said.”I’m used to you trying to kill me” Soojin laughs while Shuhua raised her eyebrows. ”See? You’re laughing at something I said. That’s weird”

“I can always shove those chopsticks down your throat if you want” Soojin replied, taking a sip from her soda while Shuhua did the same. “I’m just in a good mood today, don’t try to ruin it”

“Right, Right. Sorry” Shuhua rolled her eyes as she kept on eating in silence, sitting next to the cheerleader. “Why are you in a good mood?” She finally asked, not wanting to be eating in silence.

“It’s none of your business”

“It’s because you love me, isn’t it” Shuhua said, with a smirk and Soojin closes her eyes as she takes a deep breath, telling herself to not let the girl annoy her yet again.

“Yes, it’s exactly because of that,” Soojin mocked as she rolled her eyes. “I can’t live without smacking you at least twice a day, It’s how I show my love”

Shuhua laughs at that. 

“Seo Soojin, this is the first time you actually play along,”Shuhua said. “Have you finally found your sense of humor?” She asked with a smile as she turned around so her whole body was facing Soojin who only arched an eyebrow. “I didn’t know you could have fun”

“I have fun with my friends,” Soojin said. “and you’re not one of my friends”

“Yet you took care of me yesterday”

“Yes, as your unnie, not your friend” Soojin said, finally closing the lunch box then eyeing Shuhua’s. “Finish eating,” She said simply and Shuhua returned to eating, shaking her head while smiling which only made Soojin frown as she wondered what the other was thinking.

“A woman’s heart” she heard the taiwanese say. “It’s too hard to understand”

She decided to just ignore that. 


	18. Chapter 18

"I thought you said you're strong" Shuhua said as she watched Soojin under the piano, it was her turn to try and open the fake bottom under it but right now the cheerleader had no success. "were you lying just to show off?"

"Shut the fuck up for five seconds" Soojin complained as she tries to open this damn thing. "How the fuck did they close this? with a spell?" She grunts, and Shuhua quickly placed her hand over the girl's skirt to keep it from moving too much as there's people around; With the scenario ready to go, all they needed right now was to worry about the costumes but their budget wasn't exactly big so a lot of people were stressed about it.

"Soojin, you're so useless" The girl heard Shuhua say behind her and quickly moved her leg to kick her. "Hey- ouch!" Shuhua whines. 

"I thought you two stopped with the fights while at 'work'" They heard Minnie's voice as she approached them on the stage, waving at some people as the popular girl she was.

"Minnie-Unnie, My hero" Shuhua said while the older laughed. "We're struggling a bit to-"

"Ah! I broke my nail!" Soojin whined from under the piano before crawling from under there and smacking Shuhua's hand away from her skirt. "This is your fault!"

"My fault?!" The taiwanese complained. "You're the one who said  _ 'step aside dumbass, I can do it' _ to me!" Shuhua talked back and Minnie smirked, looking from one girl to another as they bickered.

' _ They're so cute. _ ' The older thought.

"Maybe I can try" She suggested as she got under the piano while Shuhua cheered for her. "What 's in there anyways?"

"Used to be booze"

"Yeh Shuhua-"

"It's just snacks now, I promise!"

Shuhua looks at Soojin who frowned while the younger smirks and winks at her for no reason.

" _ What _ "

"You should learn from Minnie-Unnie- _ Ack _ !" 

"Soojin" Minnie's voice came from under the piano. "Stop choking Shuhua please" 

"Fine!" She released the younger. "This is what you get-"

"Got it!" Minnie said, interrupting their fight; "And here's the snacks kids" She said, throwing them at Shuhua who smiles.

"I always believed in you, Minnie-Unnie"

"Thanks, unnie."Soojin said before checking her broken nail.

"See, Soojin?" Shuhua said, opening the bag of candies and quickly shoving them into her mouth. "This is what a strong woman looks like" She points at Minnie who laughs and ruffles her hair. 

"I just came here to ask if you two can hang out tonight" The older asked, crouching near the two girls. "Since you have been working so hard, I thought one day to have fun would be cool… Plus the awkward mood between Soyeon and Yuqi is driving Miyeon crazy"

"What happened anyways?" Shuhua asked. "I asked Yuqi but she didn't wanted to tell me"

Soojin and Minnie looked at each other, before the cheerleader sighs.

"Soyeon asked Yuqi on a date," Soojin said. "But it seems Yuqi, uh… didn't accept it" She said, awkwardly looking at Shuhua. It was both of their best friends after all.

Minnie coughs. "I think Yuqi doesn't reciprocate the feelings and she might not know how to tell Soyeon that"

"Ah…" It's all Shuhua said, before stuffing her face again like nothing happened. Soojin frowns.

"Is all what you have to say?"

Shuhua arches an eyebrow. "Yeah? What do you want me to do? Cry?" 

"You're so insensitive!"

"How-"

"Hey!" Minnie snapped her fingers to get their attention again. "Just tell me if you guys can go or not"

"Sure why not," Shuhua said as she shrugged. "I love being a third wheel"

Soojin rolled her eyes. "I have nothing better to do, so-" 

" _ Tsundere, Tsundere"  _ Shuhua and Minnie chanted at the same time before they high five each other.

"I'm not a tsundere!"

**.**

**.**

**.**

Soojin had this odd feeling as she walked across the parking lot towards the dinner she was supposed to meet Miyeon, Minnie and sadly, Shuhua as well; There's this feeling inside her chest that tells her that maybe she should go back home and pretend she got sick or fell down the stairs. 

It's called the fear of being the third wheel.

She walked into the place and quickly spotted the couple and the taiwanese girl who had her back turned to her, probably already focused on her food while the couple was talking about something and then stopped once they see Soojin, quickly waving at her as she comes closer to their table, Shuhua moves further into the seat, giving Soojin space to sit down. 

"We're almost complete," Minnie said. "Only Yuqi and Soyeon left" 

"I already said that I doubt that they're going to come," Shuhua said. "Soyeon made things awkward"

Soojin crossed her arms. " _ Soyeon _ made things awkward? Yuqi is the one who should give a direct answer" 

Shuhua frowned. "It's not Yuqi's fault if she doesn't feel the same" 

"It's not Soyeon's fault either!" 

"Girls please, stop arguing," Miyeon said. "Especially in the middle of the diner"

"Miyeon's right, Let's just have fun," Minnie added. "If they don't come, that's okay too"

"Fine, whatever" Shuhua mumbled as she rolled her eyes and Soojin did the same before picking up the menu to choose something to order. "By the way, I think the cooking club is organizing a halloween party at school," Shuhua said.

"How do you know that?" Miyeon asked, as she drank from her cup. 

"I know everyone from there"

"Oh yeah, You were part of the club" Minnie said as she remembered always seeing Shuhua there, always surrounded by pretty girls."Before you joined the basketball team"

"I didn't know you can cook," Soojin said with a frown. "I have been cooking an extra lunchbox for you for nothing?" She asked. 

Minnie raises her eyebrows. "You have been cooking for her?" 

"Listen, I was there for the free food," Shuhua said. "But eventually found something I liked better"

"Those girls must have been so sad," Minnie joked. 

It was Miyeon's turn to ask. "Why?"

"They were head over heels for the cute foreign girl and her cute accent, how else do you guys think she got away with cooking badly"

"Hey!" Shuhua protested. "I baked cookies for you and you said they were good!" 

Soojin tries not to laugh at how Minnie looks like she was caught doing something wrong.

"It was great!" She quickly reassured the younger while Miyeon covered her mouth to keep herself from laughing. "Everything you do is perfect, Shuhua" 

Shuhua squints her eyes. "You're so fake, Minnie-Unnie" She replied, now making both Miyeon and Soojin laugh as Minnie kept on trying to convince Shuhua that she was telling the truth. 

It didn't take long for them to realize that neither Soyeon or Yuqi were coming, probably to avoid the other; Both Shuhua and Soojin tried texting their best friends with no success, they didn't even received a reply but Soojin knew that Soyeon at least had seen her texts. 

"So as I was saying" Shuhua started. "They wanna make a party with the students, costumes and all. Hyewon asked for my help-"

"Of course she did," Minnie teased and Shuhua glared at the other.

"Stop." It's all the younger said. "It would be cool to go since this old lady" She points at Miyeon. "Wants to just stay at home instead"

"Hey!" Miyeon complained. "I just want us to have a good time as friends"

"You want to make us your third and fourth wheel," Soojin accused before laughing along Shuhua.

"We gotta be sitting like this, being single and watching you two being lovey dovey" Shuhua teased.

"Date each other then" Minnie said, then laughing at how caught off guard both looked.

"Shut up!" They said at the same time while the mimin couple laugh now that they aren't the only ones being teased. 

Soojin glared at them. "You guys, I swear-"

"Soojin?" She turned around as she heard the familiar voice and felt her cheeks burn a little as she saw Hui approaching their table, with a smile on his lips. "Shuhua," He said, finally noticing the taiwanese sitting beside Soojin; He also made sure to greet both Minnie and Miyeon.

"Hui, my dude!" The girl stood up and raised her hand to high five him while Soojin covered her face from embarrassment, wishing that for once the girl knew how to be polite and use the honorifics, but the boy didn't seem to mind at all and was actually laughing as he high fived her back. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, I was just passing by and saw you guys from the window" He casually said. "So I came in to say hi"

Soojin felt more awkward than normal as the two of them talked, especially how she looked at Minnie and Miyeon who were looking at her with those knowing smirks just to annoy her; But there was something about how casually Shuhua was talking to Hui that makes Soojin feel more embarrassed than she should but she couldn't tell what was it. 

She watched as the younger playfully bumps his chest with her fist. "Just so you know we almost couldn't get that fake bottom open" She felt Shuhua's hands on her shoulders, squeezing them a bit as she had a sweet smile on her face. "Poor Soojin-Unnie broke her nail"

"Oh, I'm so sorry for that, Soojin" He apologized and she felt even more embarrassed, hating how Shuhua had put her in the spot like that. "How did you guys open it?"

Minnie raised her hand. "I did, but I gotta say; It felt like you guys wanted to seal a demon in there, not hide snacks" She said and the boy laughed. 

His chat was brief, and quickly started to say his goodbyes, talking about how he had to meet some friends, Soojin felt stupid for not talking properly to him but she was too shy to do that in front of her friends and Shuhua so she just sat there and let the others to the talk and joining here and there.

"Until tomorrow" Hui said waving at them "Have fun on your double date, girls" He added with a bright smile before making his way out while Soojin waved back with a shy smile before his words finally hit her and she quickly looked at Minnie and Miyeon, a couple, and then at herself and Shuhua. 

Hui thought they were on a double date. 

"Soojin- _ Unnie.  _ If you wanted to go on a date with me, all you had to do was to ask-" Shuhua mocked, also aware of Hui's words while Soojin can only groan in frustration as she hides her face in her hands, telling herself to not attack the taiwanesse in public. 

**.**

**.**

**.**

The whole thing ended better than expected and Miyeon was actually surprised at how well behaved Shuhua and Soojin were that night, excluding the moments where Shuhua would tease the cheerleader over Hui's double date comment and how Soojin should pay for her food. Other than that no attempts of murder from Soojin which was some progress. 

While Miyeon talked to Shuhua, Minnie took Soojin to the side to talk to her.

"So, you'll take Shuhua home" The older said as she took some money out of her wallet and put it on Soojin's hand. "Here, It's for the gas"

"Why don't you take her home?" Soojin asked, already putting the money inside her purse. Minnie looks around as she bites her bottom lip out of embarrassment.

"Uh… I'm taking Miyeon home" There's a pause and Soojin notices her ears turning red. "And her parents aren't home tonight so-"

Soojin makes a disgusted face as she realizes what her intentions were. "Oh my god, don't say anything else.  _ I get it _ "

Minnie covered her face out of embarrassment and Soojin looked around, even more embarrassed at this situation. She shouldn't have asked anything.

"Just make sure to take her home" It's all Minnie said while Soojin nodded before making her way back to Miyeon and Shuhu who looked at them, confused by the obvious shade of red on their faces. 

"Come on, let's go. I'll take you home" Soojin said as she grabbed Shuhua by her arm and started to drag her away, not wanting to stay near the couple after the wanted piece of info she just got, also just waving at Miyeon who complained about how Soojin should say goodbye properly.

"Why are you taking me? I wanted to go with Minnie-Unnie"

Soojin just opens the car's door in silence. "Believe me, you don't want to be with them tonight" 

She watched as Shuhua seemed to process those words mean and just as she was earlier, the taiwanese made a disgusted face as soon as she realized.

"Are they…?"

Soojin nods. "Yeah"

"Gross" Shuhua complains as she enters the car.

The ride was quieter than Soojin expected, in fact Shuhua fell asleep after a few minutes and that was enough for Soojin to know she wasn't sleeping properly yet again, but that's none of her business; Shuhua wasn't a child and Soojin refused to baby her if she was just going to keep on with the same behavior of always. 

As she drove closer to Shuhua's house she noticed the lights were on and smiled, at least her parents were the type to wait for her to come home; Soojins parents stopped doing that a while ago and she wouldn't admit it out loud but she kinda missed it. 

She stopped in front of the house and turned to Shuhua, leaning over her to take off the seatbelt, as the girl mumbles in her sleep.

" _ You idiot _ " Soojin tries not to laugh at how even in her dreams she was calling someone stupid for, probably no reason. " _ I.. love you"  _ Soojin held her shoulder and shaked her to wake her up. Ignoring those words that she wasn't supposed to hear.

' _ who are you dreaming about? _ '

"Hey, wake up-'' She shaked Shuhua a bit harder and the girl turned around, as her eyes slowly opened up, only to gasp once she noticed Soojin's face so close to hers. "What!? I wasn't doing anything! Don't react like that!" The older said while Shuhua looked around, her sleepy brain was still processing what's going on. 

"You scared me, how was I supposed to react- where are we?"

"Are you stupid?" Soojin asked as she rolled her eyes. "Can't you recognize your own house?" 

Shuhua squinted her eyes as she looked around and seemed to finally get it; She was fully awake now. Soojin chuckles.

"You should hurry up I think it's your mom by the window staring at us" Soojin warned and Shuhua quickly made her way out of the car without a word and Soojin prepared to drive again only for Shuhua to make her way back to the car and lean on the window. "What now?"

"Nothing" Shuhua said while the blonde looked at her in confusion. "Just… thanks for the ride, that's all" She said leaning back before waving at Soojin. "Goodnight"

"Night" Soojin replied before she started to drive away, Shuhua's sleepy words still ringing in the back of her head. 

_ you idiot, I love you. _

Why was she so curious, why does she want to know who it was so badly? With a heavy sigh the cheerleader simply focused on driving and getting home already. 

It was none of her business after all.


	19. Chapter 19

_ Curiosity killed the cat.  _

Seo Soojin made her way across the school's hallway with determination as she made her way towards the cooking club's classroom as Shuhua and Minnie's words rang at the back of her head, despite saying it was none of her business there she was on her way to try and find out who was that gremlin Shuhua's beloved idiot, she couldn't find any reason for her curiosity but she knew that she was going to use that to tease the other once she finds out who it was. If Shuhua can annoy her about Hui then it is her right to do the same to her, but she needs to find out who it is first. 

There weren't too many people in the club, 12 students and Soojin knew for a fact she didn't need to include any of the 3 boys in there; Not a part of Shuhua's menu for sure. 

The girls in there were casually talking before Hyewon, the current club president looked at the side and got startled by sight of none other than Seo Soojin leaning against the classroom's window as she stared straight at her with those intimidating eyes of her; She felt like the girl was staring straight into her soul before she leaned back with a sweet smile as if she wasn't glaring at her just a few seconds ago.

"Hey ladies…" She said as she walked into the room with a smile; which wasn't odd, Soojin was known to be a very kind and polite person when she's away from a certain taiwanese so everyone was used to how soft she usually sounded when speaking; But something felt different that day.

"Soojin-Unnie, Hello" Some girls greeted as they bowed and the older did the same, still smiling.

"I came here because I have some questions for you guys"

**.**

**.**

**.**

"Shuhua" Minnie whines "5 minutes break please?" She asked as she tossed the ball back to the captain who only frowned. 

With everyone worrying about costumes, Shuhua took the time to focus on basketball practice again, with more determination than before, if that was somehow possible and by consequence Minnie also had to practice just as hard so they stay at the same level as always. 

"It's literally just the two of us" The older pointed out. "I'm tired"

"Why? I'm still full of energy" Shuhua replied, bouncing the ball on the floor as she stared at Minnie. "We have been practicing for 30 minutes only" 

"Of course you're not tired," Minnie said. "Somehow you got Soojin to cook for you so you're always full of energy now; Are you guys dating or something?" 

Shuhua turned around. "I don't know what you're talking about" She said, wanting to avoid this topic, she gets the feeling Minnie only brings it up because she knows it annoys her. "Also I don't date anyone"

"I see her with two lunch boxes now and you don't come to eat with us in the cafeteria anymore so-"

"She decided to bring an extra one," Shuhua interrupted. "I just accepted it cause it's free food"

"Seo Soojin is falling for your charms" Minnie teased and Shuhua looked at her, uninterested.

"That sounds like her problem" Shuhua said; She knew Soojin wasn't falling for her, if anything she was behaving like a worried older sister who wanted to make sure Shuhua was eating, besides that she was still the same as before, always wanting to kill her. 

"Woah, that's cold" Minnie replied. "You don't even want to give her some smooch- hey!" She gasps when Shuhua throws the ball at her; She doesn't need this talk right now.

"Less talk, More practice!"

"Sorry, Captain!" 

Shuhua shakes her head and sighed as she and Minnie kept on practicing; Her mind trying to stay focused and not thinking about how she couldn't fall in love with anyone even if she wanted, not yet at least. 

Not when her heart was still hurting for someone else. 

And she would never fall for Soojin, even if she was the last woman on earth. 

**.**

**.**

**.**

"That's the part where she finds someone else," Shuhua said as she sat next to Soojin on the stage, under one of the fake trees as she gave the older some advice with the delivery of some lines."She's still in love with her first love, but this new person helps her get over it"

"So basically she's gonna use someone else" Soojin replied, reading the script. "That's kinda shitty. How does the other person feel about it?"

"They don't get to know"

"Isn't it bad to use someone else to get over your feelings?" 

Shuhua didn't expect for them reading the script together to suddenly turn into a debate about what was a good thing to do or not, in fact she didn't think Soojin actually cared about this whole play at all.

"I didn't know you cared about what the characters do," Shuhua said and Soojin rolled her eyes, her feet bumping against Shuhua's, who raised her eyebrows.

"Just cause I'm not into acting doesn't mean I can't voice my opinion" 

"Well, I guess that's true" The younger one said as she nodded. "And I think it isn't that bad for her to do that, what the other person doesn't know can't hurt them" Shuhua shrugged.

Soojin frowned. "Doesn't that make her a bad person?"

Shuhua stared into her eyes and smiled. "Maybe the protagonist isn't a good person and she just wants to move on"

"Did you move on?" 

Shuhua was caught off guard, Soojin knew despite how her face doesn't show it; She looked calm as always and the older hated how she always seemed to be acting in a role, lying and pretending. Even now. 

Early she talked with the cooking club but didn't get anything besides them still adoring Shuhua and how some of her cute scent would still slip out when she spoke, even now after 2 years, and Soojin had to keep herself from looking disgusted at their heart eyes everytime they talked about the basketball player with such an adoring tone in their voices. Other than that no hints of who she might have liked at all, ever since Shuhua left the club, the students that were there already graduated. 

She could only assume Shuhua's crush was still attending the school if the fact that she hadn't moved on from it was a hint. Soojin tried not to flinch as Shuhua's face moved closer to hers as her eyes squinted, curious. 

"Why are you so curious about who I like?" She asked, suspicious by that sudden interest in her love life.

Soojin didn't know the answer for that question, she just wanted to know but couldn't tell what exactly had made her so curious; Maybe she never thought Shuhua could ever be in love, she never looked like the romantic type, always focused on her team and now in this play.

"Because-" She placed a hand on Shuhua's shoulder. "I can always use that against you and have a good laugh" She said with a fake sweet smile and Shuhua chuckles. 

"If you knew who it was-" Shuhua started. "You wouldn't laugh at all" The younger replied as she stared into her eyes and Soojin felt like there were 100 stories hidden in them, and she wanted to know one in specific. "But you're not gonna know who it is tho" She finally said with her cheerful voice as she moved away and Soojin felt like she could actually breath now.

"Are you challenging me?" Soojin asked with a smirk but her eyes met Shuhua's cold gaze instead; Soojin had to admit, she could be intimidating when she wanted to.

"No, I'm  _ warning _ you to back off" The younger said. "It's none of your business. Don't let me catch you snooping around" She said, serious before waving the script. "Now, let's move on" She said cheerfully yet again like nothing happened at all.

Soojin nodded, despite knowing that deep down she wasn't going to follow whatever Shuhua had told her out of pettiness. 

_ Curiosity Killed The Cat, _

_ But satisfaction brought it back. _


	20. Chapter 20

Yuqi walked down the School's hallway in silence as she glanced over her shoulder and saw Shuhua walking right behind her, also in silence but her eyes staring straight into her soul as the older speed up her walk, only for the younger to do the same until they were in front of the girl's bathroom and Shuhua finally reached for Yuqi's arm and pulled her with her as she entered the bathroom. 

"Wha-"

"You have been ignoring me," Shuhua said. "What happened?"

"I'm not ignoring you!" She said "You know I would never do that, It's just-" Yuqi scratches the back of her head as she feels embarrassed. "You guys are always in a group and I don't know how to act around Soyeon"

"Do you like Soyeon?" Shuhua asked, firm. 

Yuqi shrugs. "I don't know… She's a good friend and I like hanging out with her but-"

Shuhua smiles bitterly. "You don't know if you want to date her?"

Yuqi stared at the ground. "Yeah"

"You should still give her an answer," Shuhua said. "It's no good to keep someone waiting, she's not gonna move on if you don't let her"

"It's why you didn't move on either?" Yuqi asked, not wanting to sound rude or anything, but Shuhua was not the person to give advice about moving on when she knew that the taiwanese were still so in love. "You never confessed your feelings to-"

"Hey!" Shuhua interrupted. "This is not about me"

"I'm just saying" Yuqi said "Maybe if you confessed your feelings-"

"Why would I do that?" Shuhua asked. "So I can get rejected and make things awkward? I didn't confess the first time for a reason, it wasn't meant to be. Let it go" 

"You didn't" Yuqi mumbled.

Shuhua decided to ignore that and just gestured for them to get out of the bathroom already and let this conversation die. 

She hated how this topic keeps on being brought up with more frequency than she likes to.

**.**

**.**

**.**

"So we don't talk much" Soyeon said to Miyeon and Soojin as they stood by the parking lot, leaning against Soojin's car who had dragged the younger around so they could properly talk about the awkward mood between her and Yuqi. "I think Yuqi is scared to tell me the truth"

"Then she's a little bit-"

" _ Soojin _ !"

"What?! She can't just delay an answer for this kind of thing" The cheerleader said as she crossed her arms. "She's playing with your feelings, Soyeon. The least you could do is kick her ass-"

"Or-" Miyeon intruded. "Talk to her, make sure yours and her feelings are explicit to each other; Get your answer and if it's a rejection, you can move on" She added. "It's the mature thing to do" She glanced at Soojin.

"But if you decide to beat Yuqi up, You're still valid" Soojin insisted. "I would even help you" 

"No!" Miyeon complained and Soyeon sighes. 

"I'm not beating up anyone," Soyeon said, making Soojin roll her eyes. "If she doesn't like me then… that's fine, I just wish she would tell me instead of avoiding me" She sighed in defeat and Miyeon pats her shoulder. "I can handle rejections" 

"Maybe Yuqi can't handle rejections," Miyeon replied. "I have rejected  _ a lot _ of people before and it's not fun" She said and Soojin smirks. "It's hard to hurt someone's feelings like that"

"Please tell us more about how everyone loves you, Chophrodite" Soojin mocked with a smirk. "I'm sure Minnie gonna love to know about all the people who confessed to you"

"Soojin! Don't say that!" Miyeon replied. "You know Minnie gets jealous very easily"

"She's just like Shuhua," Soyeon added and both girls looked at her. "Yuqi told me she was the jealous type too." 

Soojin is embarrassed to admit that ' _ another hint! _ ' was the first thing that came to mind after she heard that; Maybe she was a little too into this investigation of hers, at least more than she would like to admit. 

But it kept her from being bored so she was going to take what she could get.

"I think all of them are the jealous type," Miyeon laughs. "Minnie said that Yuqi got really jealous when she befriended Shuhua on their first year here" She said, remembering how Minnie would talk how Yuqi behaved like Minnie wanted to steal her best friend from her.

The mention of Yuqi, however, gave Soojin an idea. Despite her wanting to give the kid a beating for playing around with Soyeon's feelings like that, she couldn't help but realize the obvious.

' _ Yuqi must know who Shuhua's crush is! _ '

**.**

**.**

**.**

"What's your type of woman?" Soojin asked Shuhua as the younger one was unbuttoning her uniform's shirt; The taiwanese just looked at her, confused more than anything else.

"Why? You wanna introduce me to one of your friends?" Shuhua asked as she opened her shirt a bit more; The air conditioner was broken, so the auditorium was pretty hot and so some open buttons were necessary if they didn't want to toast in there; Soojin had done the same just a few minutes ago.

"I would never make my friends suffer by having them date you" Soojin replied, she was laying on the cold floor of the stage, with her arms under her head as she watched the other girl walk around. "I'm just curious, we working together so we might as well get to know each other"

Shuhua laughs as she shakes her head, back turned to Soojin now. "You think I'm stupid"

"Sometimes, yeah; But not right now"

"You just want to narrow down the list of potential girls I might like so you can find out who I'm in love with" Shuhua replied, now turning to Soojin. "But I just know the one I want isn't even in the list"

Soojin squints her eyes. "Yeh Shuhua, are you into one of the teachers?"

Shuhua laughs at the suggestion. "Maybe" She joked with a smirk on her lips. "I do like older girls" She added, trying not to smile at Soojin's disgusted face. "Like Hyuna-"

"Hyuna would never notice you"

"Excuse me, I have an autograph!"

"That you bought from someone else!" Soojin accused. "You even cut off his name, remember" 

"Details!"

Shuhua laid on the floor next to Soojin, one arm covering her eyes as she sighed heavily, it was definitely too hot in there to do any work so she would just let it slide that day and just relax for a minute.

"Maybe I can help you get the girl you want" Soojin suggested, looking at Shuhua and seeing how her lips turn up in a smile, but with her eyes covered the older one couldn't tell how genuine it really was. 

"No, You can't"

"Why not, I'm good at getting couples together," Soojin said. "I helped Miyeon and Minnie-Unnie"

"I introduced them to each other!" Shuhua replied. "Don't try to take the credits from me" She accused.

"You-  _ wait _ . You're trying to change the subject" Soojin replied as she squints her eyes, hating how Shuhua could distract her that easily. 

"I don't like talking about this," Shuhua said. "It was a very hard moment in my life that still hurts a lot and thinking about it is really painful-" She hears a faint sob coming from her side and sees some tears falling down from Shuhua's still covered eyes and the blonde quickly sit up, panicking as she held the younger's shoulders.

"H-Hey! Don't cry" She said, distressed. "I didn't mean to hurt your feelings, I was just-" She stops as soon she hears Shuhua's supposed sobs turn into giggles as she uncover her eyes and despite them being watery by tears, there was this mischievousness in them as she laughs more and Soojin feels her blood boil.

"Are you fucking serious?!" She yelled as she slapped the younger's shoulder while Shuhua laughed, grabbing the cheerleader's wrists to keep her from attacking her any further, all while loudly laughing at her reaction. "This is the second time you do that!" 

"And you still fell for it! It's hilarious" Shuhua mocked as she moved Soojin's arms around as she was now trying to choke her. " _ I didn't mean to hurt your feelings _ " She says, mocking how worried Soojin sounded before. 

“One day!-”Soojin starts, as she struggles to slap the younger’s shoulder who kept giggling at her attempts; Maybe Shuhua was stronger than Soojin assumed. “You’re gonna cry for real, and I won’t believe you!” She warned, managing to get one of her hands free and proceeding to slap Shuhua’s shoulder.

“Hey! Ouch! Ouch! Ah- You’re so aggressive!” The younger one complained. “I was just joking, come on!”

“You’re such a-” She was interrupting by her phone buzzing and so she moved away from Shuhua to pick it up, reading her text while Shuhua wiped her tears, still giggling to herself only to quickly stare at Soojin once she hears her gasp as she texted someone.

“What-”

“Soyeon just texted me and said Yuqi told her to meet her in the field in a few minutes” She replied, without thinking and Shuhua leaned closer to her face so she could read the texts as well. “Maybe Yuqi will finally stop being a little coward and talk about her feelings”

“Or reject Soyeon” Shuhua said. “Either way, things are gonna be more awkward from now on, whether they are dating or not” She added as Soojin turned her head to stare at her, Shuhua did the same once she felt the older’s stare. “What? You wanna kiss or something?” She asked, noticing how close their faces are and Soojin rolled her eyes.

“No, Idiot. I have an idea” Soojin smirked. “Let’s go check on them”

“Why? I don’t wanna watch a rejection”

“Well, if you don’t go then I’m going on my own” Soojin stood up and grabbed her backpack. “But I can’t promise not attacking Yuqi if she says something too insensitive” She added, which quickly made Shuhua stand up, not wanting her friend to be at the receiving end of Seo Soojin’s fury. 

“Fine, Fine. I’m going” She mumbled, picking up her own backpack before Soojin grabbed her hand and dragged her with her as they made their way to exit. “Hey, Hey! our uniforms” She reminds the older, their blazers were still thrown around on the stage but Soojin just shrugs.

“It’s fine, let’s go!”

**.**

**.**

**.**

"There she is," Soojin quietly said as they arrived on the football field, and quickly spotted an anxious looking Soyeon standing there, waiting for Yuqi; The older was still holding Shuhua's hand who was standing behind her, also staring at Soyeon.

"Get under the bleachers," Shuhua said, already shoving Soojin to the side and following right after. "They can't see us watching like creeps like this" She added, watching as she noticed Soojin having a hard time to move, there wasn't a lot of space there. 

"It's tight in here" She complained, ignoring Shuhua's gasps when she stepped on her foot by accident; It was her fault for standing right behind her in the first place; Then again, it wouldn't work the other way around, ever since she first arrived at school, Shuhua had grown quite a bit and she hated how Shuhua used to be smaller than her but now was taller; It definitely made the younger even more smug than before.

"Yeah" Shuhua agreed, her hot breath was closer to the back of Soojin's neck, more than the blonde was comfortable with. "It's the perfect place to make out tho" Shuhua said against Soojins ear, the older could almost hear her smirk so she quickly hit her stomach with her elbow, grinning as the other gasps. "Always so aggressive-"

"Shut Up! Yuqi is there!" She said and Shuhua moved to the side a bit, watching as Yuqi, who looked just as nervous as Soyeon; They obviously couldn't hear what was being said, but were paying attention to it either way, it was their best friends after all; Yuqi was scratching the back of her head as she spoke to Soyeon and Shuhua knew that her friend was feeling embarrassed. 

Soojin felt Shuhua's hands on her shoulders, yet it didn't felt like it had any teasing intentions, it was just resting there, she looked back at the younger who was intensely watching Soyeon and Yuqi, yet she was smiling and Soojin didn't even realize she herself was smiling, that was the first time she saw such a genuine smile on Shuhua; She almost forgot to look back the possible couple talking to each other. 

She doesn't know what happened but they were hugging now, Yuqi was holding Soyeon tightly against herself and Shuhua looked down and noticed Soojin's cheeks turning redder each second.

"Are you seriously blushing right now?" She laughs as Soojin groans and covers her face as if that's gonna make Shuhua forget her pink cheeks. "You can't hide, your ears are just as red-"

"Shut up!" The older one complained. "It's weird to see couples doing… that"

Shuhua shakes her head. 

"You koreans…" It's all she said as she's back to watching the duo, hands still on Soojin's shoulders. "Do you think they're gonna date- Oh, they're kissing. woah! Get it Yuqi!" Shuhua quietly cheered while Soojin covered her eyes, not wanting to pry on their moment; As for Shuhua, she was already planning several ways to tease Yuqi about this. "Come on, be happy for them" 

"I am!" Soojin mumbles. "Not enough to watch it" She said while Shuhua laughs again and looks at Yuqi with a sweet smile.

' _ yeah, you deserve your happy ending' _ She thought. 

"We should go now," Soojin said, looking at the ground like it was the most interesting thing there and Shuhua chuckles.

"Sure, go on the front since you're smaller" The younger said, smiling and Soojin decided to ignore the obvious provocation in her words.They made their way back,Shuhua's hands held Soojin's waist firmly as she had to crouch a bit to avoid hitting her head; The older didn't seemed to mind the touch, if the fact that one of her hands was on top of Shuhua's hand was any hint; They get out in time to watch Yuqi and Soyeon make their way out into the school building.

"Well, I guess there's a new couple in our group" Soojin said looking back at Shuhua who laughs and nods.

"I guess you're right"

" _ What are you two doing? _ " Both froze before looking up at the bleachers and seeing Minnie looking down at them and it didn't take a genius to realize what she was thinking; Not when Shuhua was holding Soojin the way she was, with the bonus of their messy uniforms. 

Shuhua regretted not picking them up before coming here and she let go of the cheerleader like she was fire against her skin as soon as she noticed Minnie's amused smirk, knowing that she just fed her delusional thinking about Soojin's feelings for her, and vice versa, by accident. 

"Nothing!" Shuhua said right away and Soojin quickly nodded as well. 

"We were checking on Yuqi and Soyeon!" The blonde added and Shuhua confirmed with a nod while Minnie looked around and then smirked.

"That's funny, cause they're not here" Minnie laughed. "Don't worry I'll keep your secret safe"

"There's no secret!" Shuhua complained. "We were just checking on them"

"I think you guys were checking something else,''Minnie teased, laughing even more and Soojin hides her face in her hands while Shuhua's ears turn red from embarrassment. "I already said, I'm not saying anything"

"I!- You!" Shuhua groans. "It's nothing like that at all!" She hates how she sounds like a child throwing a tantrum but Minnie refused to listen to her, even as she just waved them goodbye as she said something about giving them some privacity. "Minnie!" She called, only to be ignored by the older.

"I hope she won't bring this up with Miyeon" She heard Soojin say and she looked at the older who had turned around to look at her. "I don't wanna hear her trying to lecture me about corrupting your innocence or something"

"Don't worry," Shuhua said. "I have no innocence left for you to corrupt"

Soojin is in silence, probably in shock by her words and what they meant. "Ew, I didn't need to know that," She said once she fully processed the sentence. "... Let's just go back to the auditorium and pick up the rest of our stuff-"

"If we had done that when I said it, we wouldn't be in this situation with Minnie...Unnie" Shuhua replied, now reminding herself to button up her shirt again and quickly working on the buttons of her shirt while Soojin did the same; Definitely not a good impression on others, but thankfully it was truly just the two of them this time.

“By the way” Shuhua said, caughting Soojin’s attention before she could turn to leave. “When classes end, wait for me; I have something to talk to you about” It’s all she said before she finished fixing her uniform as just nodding at her as she leaves and leaves Soojin standing there, confused about what just happened but also curious about what the other wanted to tell her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Was supposed to update this before but Shuhua and her bangs kinda distracted me from finishing this chapter earlier.


	21. Chapter 21

Soojin pulled her scarf up to cover her mouth as she rubs her hands together; The weather had suddenly shifted from light wind to really cold by the end of the classes but thankfully she had brought her scarf and gloves just in case; Too bad that wasn't enough considering her skirt; The girl was standing by the parking lot as she watches the sea of students eagerly make their way out of school, glad that school day was over for the day. 

As for the head cheerleader, she stood there thanks to Shuhua's request early that day; The younger had something to say and so there was Soojin waiting for her and hoping this wasn't any of her jokes, otherwise she might use her scarf to choke her for making her wait in the cold. 

"Soojin" She turned around and saw Shuhua walking towards her, wearing a big coat that Miyeon had given on her birthday early that year; She pretended she didn't like it but was always wearing it on cold days. "Let's go?"

"Uh?" The older asked in confusion. "I thought you were going to tell me something-"

Shuhua nods. "I will, but we can walk and talk. Right?" She gestured for Soojin to walk with her and so the older did, both ignoring some of the students looking at the very well known pair of enemies walking together in what looked like peace. "I don't want you to get home late, your parents would be upset"

Soojin shrugs. "They don't really care, they're always busy with work" She comments as they make their way out of the parking lot and start to walk down the sidewalk. "What you wanted to talk about?" 

"Would you really help me get together with my crush?" Shuhua asked, suddenly and Soojin felt like she almost tripped on thin air by this question; Especially how calm Shuhua sounds. 

Soojin pulls her scarf down so she can talk properly. "I mean… Yeah-"

"She has a boyfriend," Shuhua added. "Are you going to help me to break them up?" 

Soojin is silent as she stops mid walk while Shuhua keeps walking before she realizes the older had stopped coming along, stopping as well and looking back at Soojin with a confused look; Soojin would help, almost, anyone with their love life. Even Shuhua.

But to ruin someone else's relationship...

"No, that I can't do," Soojin said, looking down awkwardly. "Maybe you really should move on instead of trying to hurt other people like that" 

"But I want her"

How was she supposed to answer that? Should she yell at the younger? It was her duty as the older, right? Put her in the right path and correct her. Yet the awkwardness she felt for some reason wasn't because of what Shuhua had asked to do, but because of something she couldn't quite explain. 

The idea that Shuhua loved someone so much to the point of wanting to do  _ that _ surprised her; and bothered her for some reason.

"You can't have everything you want" Soojin replied with a frown as she looked up to Shuhua who was surprisingly smiling at her; The soft squint on her eyes was a hint that it was a genuine one, like when they're under the bleachers early.

"I guess you're right" The younger replied before walking again, leaving Soojin stunned in place before she looked back again to the older and gestures with her hand for Soojin to come. "Come on… I'll walk you home, Unnie" 

' _ unnie? _ ' That was the first time since they've met that Shuhua had called Soojin 'unnie' without being sarcastic or mocking her; She wondered what this sudden change is about and without thinking twice she started to walk side by side with Shuhua again, the silence between them was actually comfortable. 

"What costume will you wear?"

"huh?"

"For the halloween party at school" Shuhua asked, and Soojin suddenly remembered of the event that the cooking club decided to organize this year; She was looking forward to the spooky looking food. 

"I dunno" Soojin shrugged. "I didn't pick one yet and to be honest I kinda forgot about it" She added and Shuhua chuckles as she shakes her head. Typical Introverted Soojin. "What about you?"

"A vampire, maybe?" The younger replied. "I think I would fit very well" 

"You're pale enough"

"and irresistible to the ladies"

Soojin rolled her eyes. "Yeah, Yeah"

The older watched as Shuhua used her breath to warm her hands before rubbing them together, which made Soojin look down at her own hands in the gloves before looking back at Shuhua again as she considers her options of offering the following:

"Do you wanna hold hands?" ' _ what?' _ this was probably the worst moment for her brain to malfunction like this, she just wanted to ask if Shuhua wanted to wear her gloves, not if she was up for some hand holding. ' _ Why am I so bad with words!? _ '

Shuhua looked at her, surprised by the sudden offer and Soojin wanted for a hole to form and swallow her up to avoid this embarrassing situation, especially as she saw the younger smile.

"Seo Soojin, you're so romantic" Shuhua said, holding Soojin's hand. 

"Hey! Hold on a second-" She protests as Shuhua laughs and keeps her hand in a firm hold while Soojin tries to wriggle her way out of her grip with no success. When did she get so strong? "Let me go!"

"But,  _ Unnie _ you said you wanted to hold hands!" The younger teased, interlocking their fingers, which made Soojin turn redder much to Shuhua's amusement. "I thought you had finally stop denying your love for me-"

"Shut up, you little weirdo!" 

Shuhua finally let her go, but was still laughing; Soojin's reactions to her flirty jokes was always hilarious and the younger would always do that at every opportunity; She watched in curiosity as Soojin took her gloves and handed them over to her.

"Here, your hands look cold"

Shuhua took them, and for Soojin's surprise, she bowed right after muttering a quick 'thank you'; So she does have manners when she wants to, that was good to know.

They kept on walking in silence and Soojin was surprised that the younger actually wanted to walk her home so she wouldn't arrive late, it was supposed to be the other way around but Shuhua was never into Korean costumes anyways.

"Just so we're clear" Soojin started as she started to see her house in the distance. "Don't do anything dumb, ok? regarding your…  _ crush _ " She explained as Shuhua nods. 

"Okay… I won't be a homewrecker, Unnie" Shuhua replied, her voice was so calm and gently right now that for a moment Soojin forgot that's how she used to sound like before they were always fighting and bickering and mocking each other over every little thing; And once again she was calling her unnie, she wanted to ask why but she felt oddly shy to bring that up so she just let the younger do it.

"Is your sister home?"

Soojin frowns. "You came with me to see my  _ sister _ ?" Her question was more like an accusation and Shuhua looked at her in shock as she lifted her hands to surrender.

"Of course not! I was just wondering"

"You don't need to wonder about that"

"Sorry, Sorry"

They finally stopped in front of Soojin's house and awkwardly stood there in silence, not knowing how to bye to each other as they aren't friends but their enemy status wasn't the same as before; Shuhua scratches the back of her head before she remembered to take off Soojin's gloves and give it back to her.

"I almost forgot… thanks" The younger said as she gives it back to the older who just nods. 

"No problem" More silence, why was it awkward now? "I should get in, until tomorrow" 

"Until tomorrow" Shuhua replied, her hands now inside her coat's pockets as she watched Soojin make her way inside her house before she turned to leave and make her way home.

**.**

**.**

**.**

"ah! Yeh Shuhua wait for me!" Miyeon complains as she tries to catch with the younger who yawns as she makes her way across the store, with Miyeon walking right behind her, or at least trying to as Shuhua was walking faster on purpose as she tries not to smile at the older complaining. "Seriously, you have no respect for me-"

"Fine, Fine" The younger slowed down. "There, happy now?" 

"Yes!" 

"Remind me again why I'm here instead of Minnie?" Shuhua asked. "Isn't her job as your girlfriend to endure going out with you?"

"She's busy picking her costume" Miyeon replied, holding Shuhua's arm and ignoring how the younger tried to pull her arm away, only for the older to hold it tighter. "I was thinking of going as a zombie"

"Just match outfits with her" Shuhua rolled her eyes, still trying to pull back her arm with no success. "It's what she wants anyways"

"You think?"

"She literally told me she hoped you get that you two should match costumes" She felt like she did a lot for those two, from introducing them to each other, to finding out if Miyeon liked girls so she could tell Minnie who was too nervous to ask herself; Who was the unnie again?

"She told you?"

"Yeah, because she wanted me to tell you, but don't tell her I did; Let her think you figured it out on your own" She replied, pulling her arm once again, with success now that Miyeon was distracted by some fake vampire teeth by the shelf. 

**_Meanwhile_ ** …

"You expect Miyeon to just guess?" Soojin asked with a frown as she walked behind Minnie around the costume store, looking at all the zombie, vampire and serial killer outfits. 

"I dropped hints!" Minnie said. "She loves me, we're in sync and I trust her to get that our theme is vampire girlfriends, I even made some fake blood at home" 

"You put too much faith in Miyeon" Soojin said, walking around trying to find something for herself as well; "I bet you'll show up as a full vampire and she comes in with a banana costume"

"Now, where's your faith in your friend?" 

"I don't have faith in any of you guys," Soojin said. "If anything, it feels like i'm the unnie- oh!" She got distracted by one of the outfits and Minnie followed her gaze. " _ Unnie- _ " She started, looking at Minnie. "Buy it for me"

"You just said you felt like the unnie-"

"Don't take my words too seriously, come on, come on-"

"Fine, Fine…" Minnie laughed as she picked the costume and gave it to Soojin. "What am I? Your bank account?"

"Sometimes"

"Ah, Seo Soojin!" Soojin laughs at her reaction, and Minnie ends up laughing as well. "Shouldn't you match costumes with your girlfriend?"

"Shuhua Isn't my girlfriend!" 

"I didn't say her name tho"

Minnie laughed while Soojin started to loudly complain about the teasing, but the older was having too much fun to stop with the jokes, the only thing that kept her from keep going as her phone rang which she quickly picked up as she saw Shuhua's name on the screen. 

"Hey shushu!" 

"It's _ Yeh Susan  _ to you" She heard the younger one say, annoyed. "Since you told me to help your girlfriend with her costume and now I can't enjoy my daily afternoon nap" 

"If that makes you feel any better, I already got my vampire costume" Minnie started as she smirked at Soojin who frowned. "Also I'm with your girlfriend at the store buying some costumes too" She added, smiling as Soojin rolled her eyes.

There's silence from the other side of the phone.

"Which one of them?" Shuhua asked, causing Minnie to gasp.

"What!?" She didn't get an answer, instead there was a lot of yelling on the other side and she could tell Shuhua and Miyeon were bickering over something and if her hearing was right, it was totally food-related and she even hung out without properly saying goodbye. "I- This kid…"

"What was that about?" Soojin asked and Minnie shrugged.

"Just Shuhua trying to get on my nerves"

**.**

**.**

**.**

They were all sitting by the table in the cafeteria as they watched Yuqi and Soyeon nervously trying to tell them something, Shuhua and Soojin glanced at each other, as they know what it was, before the younger took her drink and took a sip from her straw, trying not to look too amused while Soojin covered her mouth to keep herself from giggling; They were to pretend to act like they don't know anything and as she looks at Shuhua's neutral face, she was doing a pretty good job. 

"Yuqi and I are dating." There were surprised noises from the Mimin couple and Soojin did her best to sound surprised as she gasped and Shuhua went 'woah no way!' which almost made the cheerleader laugh. "huh… We just wanted to let you guys know" 

Obviously the older couple bombarded the younger two with questions, when it started and how while Soojin and Shuhua just watched everything in silence since they already knew. 

"We're finally a squad of couples!" Miyeon said, excited as she claps. Soojin loudly coughs as she motions at herself and Shuhua. "Oh right…"

"I dunno-" Minnie started but Shuhua quickly interrupted her. 

"If anything we're two pairs of couples and two third wheels" Shuhua said. "But I'm single by choice, women are too complicated.”

' _ yeah, right. as if that's the actual reason _ ' Soojin thought but stayed in silence and started to eat as the others were talking to each other about the new couple, once in a while glancing at Shuhua would also glance back at her, curious as to why the older kept looking at her, but deciding to not bring that up right now and leave it for later when it’s just the two of them. 


	22. Chapter 22

**October 20**

_ Dear not-a-diary, _

_ Today I have decided to move on, like Soojin told me. _

_ But every time I look into her eyes, I can't stop my heart from beating so fast. _

_ How can I stay away from- _

"If you're gonna write on your diary make sure there's nobody around" Shuhua pulled the diary against her chest by instinct only to realize it was just Yuqi, standing behind her by the bleachers with her hands inside the pockets of the jacket of her tracksuit, as always looking very tiny inside of it. 

"Yuqi! You scared me!" 

"Why are you writing in the middle of the football field?" The chinese girl asked as she moved to sit next to her best friend who closed her diary and put it back into her bag.

"I just felt like it," The younger one said. "So how are things now that you're with handcuffs?" 

It's been weeks since Yuqi and Soyeon were dating now and the older has been the chinese girl's current priority, as it should be, so Shuhua barely saw her and let alone have a talk with her as she herself was busy. 

"Stop calling my relationship handcuffs, Soyeon is really nice" 

"Just nice?" Shuhua reached for Yuqi's neck, fingertips pressed against the skin as she spotted the faint bruise in there, the other seemed to notice what she was touching because her ears turned red as she smacked Shuhua's hands away as the younger smirks. "I think it is more than  _ nice, _ " She teased.

"It's a perfectly normal thing between couples our age!" Yuqi defended herself, if her voice could go high pitched then it would right now by how defensive she was being and Shuhua couldn't hold back her laugh. "You're just jealous because you're single"

"I can get any girl I want; I just happen to not want any relationship"

"Maybe you should, It would be good for you" 

They heard noises and looked to the side, seeing the cheerleader squad walking in for their daily practice and Shuhua smirked as soon as she saw Soojin's bright smile as she talked to Soyeon turn into a frown as soon as she saw the taiwanese girl sitting there; Shuhua waved at the older and Yuqi chuckles behind her as she notices the provocation.

"Ah, I wanna say thank you to whoever invented miniskirts" Shuhua commented as the cheerleaders passed by with their uniforms; Yuqi slapped her shoulder.

"Hey! one of them is my girlfriend!" 

"Don't worry, I'm closing my eyes to Soyeon-Unnie"

Speaking of the devil, the girl had approached them, Shuhua wanted to laugh at how awkward she still behaved with Yuqi when she was around, The taiwanese didn't understand how her presence made them so shy around each other but she thought it was really funny and would have a great time teasing them about it.

"Hey Soyeon-Unnie" The girl greets with a quick wave to the other who did the same as she puts one leg on the first row seat of the bleachers. "I hope you're treating my Yuqi well" She said, mostly to tease them. 

"Shuhua!" 

"Of course I am" Soyeon replied, still shy but her words were firm and Shuhua nodded, ignoring Yuqi glaring at her. 

"That's good" She looks at the chinese girl. "She's like a sister to me" She added, touching her chin, making Yuqi smack her hand away as the younger laughs.

"Hey, what did I tell you?" They heard Soojin say, approaching them but her eyes were focused on Shuhua, looking annoyed as always. "Why are you here?"

"It's a public space" Shuhua replied with a smirk while Yuqi and Soyeon just shake their heads as they watch the pair argue once again; Soyeon never really understood why Soojin hated Shuhua being in the cheerleader practice so much, it became a habit since the end of last year and of course the younger would always find a way to pass by just to annoy the other; Even now with their relationship being supposedly better. 

"I don't care, just leave. go go" Soojin said as Shuhua rolled her eyes and stood up, surprising Yuqi at how fast she gave up; The girl picked up her backpack and looked at Yuqi who stood up as well so both could leave. "Yuqi you can stay, it's fine"

" _ What _ " Shuhua complained only to be ignored. "why?"

"Yuqi doesn't flirt with the girls and distracts them," Soojin points at Shuhua. "You do, so leave"

"Fine, whatever" Shuhua jumped from the bleachers to the floor and then looked at Soojin. "But just so you know… I think you're just jealous of me" She said, running away just in time to avoid Soojin trying to smack her again. 

Victory sure is sweet when you get it without being hit.

**.**

**.**

**.**

Shuhua was alone in the locker room getting ready for today's practice, tying her shoelaces when she felt hands on her shoulders which made her froze for a second before looking back and seeing Minnie with her usual bright smile. The younger sighs.

"Holy- Don't approach me like that, my heart almost stopped" The younger said, finishing tying her shoelace and moving to the other while Minnie laughed and sat next to her. "What do you want?" 

"So… You went out with Miyeon-"

"Yeah, and?" She looked away, putting up her shirt on. 

"Yeh Shuhua, look into my eyes" The older said and Shuhua knew what she meant by that.

"I can't, your bangs are in the way" The younger teased before turning to the older. "...Yes, she did pick the vampire costume, I was actually really surprised; I thought she would pick the frog one not gonna lie"

Minnie sighs in relief. 

"That's good! Also that means my love and I have great harmony"

"Right. Anyways, I still have to pick my own costume" Shuhua replied, fixing her bandana, making sure to keep her hair in place while Minnie frowns at her. 

"Didn't you buy one already?"

"Yeah but when I dressed up it was too small" That was a lie, Shuhua knew why she wanted to change costumes but would rather not tell Minnie about it. "So I'm getting a new one" 

"Which costume is it?"

"That's for me to know and a surprise to you guys" 

**.**

**.**

**.**

"If she's in love then why move on?" Soojin asked Shuhua who was playing, more like assaulting, the piano next to her; The younger looked at her in confusion. "The character" She added, lifting the script. "If they love each other so much then why not just stay together?"

"Because they hurt each other," Shuhua replied. "One gives too much love and the other is too much of a coward to love back so it's best to give up"

"You don't think fighting for someone you love has any results?"

"N-No, I don't." Soojin squinted at the way the younger stutter. "What?"

"Nothing" 

Shuhua rolled her eyes and decided to ignore that, it was less stress for her; As for Soojin she stayed focused on her script, glancing at the younger a few times as Shuhua kept on pressing different notes on the piano; now it sounds really good.

"Can you even play it?" Soojin asked, and Shuhua frowned. "The piano" 

"Minnie-unnie tried teaching me one time," The girl said. "But it was boring so I only learned this part"

"I didn't know she knew how to play the piano"

Shuhua shrugs; She wasn't going to mention how Minnie was planning to flex her piano skills to Miyeon in a few days, to celebrate being stuck together for this long, she didn't trust Soojin to not tell Miyeon about it and ruin the surprise.

Shuhua felt Soojin sit next to her and watch as she tried to play, making a few mistakes here and there before she was done.

"It was really short"

"Yeah, I wasn't exactly paying that much attention when she tried to teach me," Shuhua confessed with a smirk as she looked at Soojin. "I was busy thinking of how I was gonna hide your water bottle in the math classroom-"

"I knew that was you!" Soojin said, playfully hitting the younger's shoulder. "I was looking for it the whole afternoon after practice ya know" 

"It was pretty funny watching how confused you were" The girl said. " _ Soyeon, I'm not stupid! I would know if I forgot it at home! _ "

"I don't talk like that!" 

"Yes, you do!" Shuhua said. "You whine a lot!"

"I don't-"

"You're doing it right now, unnie" Shuhua laughs as she playfully bumps their shoulders together and Soojin rolled her eyes and then arched an eyebrow.

"You called me unnie again" 

"hm?"

"Unnie. You called me unnie, you never do that" Soojin said. "Why now?" 

Shuhua frowned as she looked down at the piano keys. 

"I don't know. Probably just a slip up" She explained before she shrugged. 

' _ or maybe it is because I have been thinking about her too much _ ' She thought before playing again.

"So, about your role" Soojin blinked at how quickly the younger one changed the subject, but decided not to mention it. "We still have to find someone to play your love interest, since nobody seems to have the courage to"

"Why is that?"

"Something about ' _ oh my god, acting as seo soojin's lover?! woah! I'm not good enough'  _ or something" She mocked. "People give you too much credit"

"Excuse me, I'm pretty!" 

"Yes, you are but-" Shuhua fully turned to look at Soojin. "Not enough to have people acting like this, if anything I'm prettier"

"Maybe, but at least my hair doesn't stink"

"What are you talking about?" Shuhua held her ponytail and put it against Soojin's nose. "My hair doesn't stink at all!" She complained, offended at the idea of anyone talking negatively about her precious hair. 

Soojin carefully sniffed and pretended to hate the smell just to annoy Shuhua even more; However the soft peach scent that came from her hair was really pleasant but she would never let the other know about it.

"Wash your hair" She decided to provoke the other who made a high pitched noise of frustration. 

"I did! There's something wrong with your nose!"

The two kept on bickering with each other for the rest of the day, the script forgotten on top of the piano as Soojin laughed at Shuhua's offended expressions who in return would provoke the older as well. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> for the people wondering if they should get who Shuhua's crush is, don't worry. You're not supposed to have a clue so far. ^^ it's part of the fun, not knowing haha!


	23. Chapter 23

“I’m loving your costume” Miyeon said to Soojin who smiled and turned around to show off her little red riding hood costume that she made Minnie bought for her a few days ago.

“Thanks, your girlfriend gave it to me” Soojin said laughing while Minnie sighs as she nods. 

The school was filled with a sea of students and Soojin was sure that there was more students on this halloween party than on the regular school days, she was pretty there was people there she never saw in class before, there's a chance some of them weren't even students and sneaked their way inside with some help.

She looked towards the dance floor and saw the yuyeon couple coming towards them laughing after spending the last minutes dancing with each other in the crowd; Yuqi and Soyeon were dressed as Robin and Batman and it took a lot for Soojin not to laugh every time she looked at Yuqi in those green spandex shorts; She would have called her cute if she didn't know she hated the word. 

As for Minnie and Miyeon, they were the vampire couple that Minnie wanted them to be so much, fake blood on corners of their mouths and all; Minnie sure worked hard for it and Soojin thought they looked really good despite Miyeon's costume looking a bit too small for her but as the older said, it was the only size available at the store she went with Shuhua.

Speaking of the youngest, she didn't arrive yet and Minnie was currently whining about it after she had called the girl several times already.

"I can't believe she won't come!"

"Who are you guys talking about?" Yuqi asked as she joined the group along with Soyeon who had her arms wrapped around the younger's waist. Soojin was starting to get the feeling she'll spend the rest of the night stuck between two couples. 

"Shuhua" Miyeon said as she pats a sulking Minnie's shoulder. "I guess she won't come-"

"Shuhua? She arrived like 10 minutes ago" Yuqi said with a frown, confused as to why the other didn't come to at least say hi to their friends first before partying with others. "Elkie snatched her away tho" 

"Ah that makes sense" Minnie said and Soojin looked at her in confusion.

"Who?"

"Soojin do you even attend our school?" Minnie asked. "Elkie has been studying here for like a year now"

"Excuse me, I don't have to know every student" The cheerleader replied.

"You would if you talked to people," Miyeon said and Soyeon giggles.

"The day Soojin decides to talk to people, hell will be frozen"

"Hey! Hey! Why is everyone attacking me all of sudden!" The girl said, annoyed. "I just made a genuine question!" 

"The point is-" Yuqi interrupted. "I don't think we can expect Shuhua to show up so soon if they're together. You know how they can get"

Minnie sighs but nods, knowing that Shuhua was probably being dragged around yet again somewhere else. 

**.**

**.**

**.**

It's not like Soojin hated social interactions-

Who was she trying to fool? she hated it; She didn't like big crowds or loud noises and the flashing light coming from the dance floor, which was actually the cafeteria after the cooking club got rid of most chairs and tables somehow; Soojin was a stay at home on friday night kind of person, watching either a romance or comedy movie while texting her friends once or twice. 

But somehow she ended up in a group of friends that were loud and while Soojin was an introverted, they were the opposite so she was constantly dragged to those situations only to end up against the wall watching everyone dancing together. 

"Soojin you're gonna grow roots if you stay there any longer," Soyeon said as she stood next to her, a drink in her hand. "Go dance"

"Alone?!"

"Yeah? You used to dance a lot, remember?" Soyeon replied. "And it's not that different from cheerleading" 

Before she could reply she heard Minnie and Miyeon laughing as they approached them, followed by Yuqi; The girl frowned.

"What? What's so funny?" 

"You didn't tell me you two wanted to match too" Miyeon said between giggles and Soojin only got even more confused until Minnie pointed to somewhere in the crowd and Soojin followed with her eyes only to see Shuhua, probably saying by to who she assumed was Elkie, casually making her way across the people.

In her big bad wolf costume. 

Minnie seemed to notice Soojin's shocked face because she started to laugh even more while the others tried to pretend they didn't find the situation a bit funny, especially considering they were matching by accident. 

"Think on the bright side, If she's big bad wolf then she can eat-"

" _ Minnie! _ "

"Sorry, Sorry"

Shuhua didn't seem to be paying attention as she approached them, focused on her phone before looking up again and freezing on the spot for a second once she noticed Soojin and her costume, making her way to the group quickly.

"What are you wearing?!"

"What are  _ you  _ wearing?!" 

Yuqi was hiding her face on Soyeon's shoulder to avoid laughing while the girl was hiding her own laugh by siping on her drink;

"It's cute that you two are matching" Miyeon said, trying to calm both down but the way they could tell she was trying not to laugh only made things worse.

"Ah, Seo Soojin! You ruined it!" 

"I got my costume first!" Soojin said. "Also, you're just wearing a custom hoodie with wolf ears on it, how is that an actual costume"

"Well, I'm sorry! I left my fursuit at home!" She mocked before pointing to her outfit. "I have torn clothes too, and claws," she pointed out. Soojin looked at Shuhua up and down.

"Why does it look so tight?"

"Because I'm thick," She said. "I mean, Have you seen my thighs?" 

"It came along your growth spurt" Minnie said "Remember when you were so small that you used to be under my shoulder?"

"If I don't remember it, then it didn't happen," Shuhua said.

"I have pictures," Minnie replied with a smirk. 

**.**

**.**

**.**

"are you not getting drunk?" Yuqi asked as she sat next to Shuhua. "You know someone from the volleyball team managed to sneak in a lot of beer"

"I don't want to get drunk," Shuhua replied. "I would rather not repeat what happened last halloween" 

"Ah… Right"

"You know what I mean," Shuhua said as she watched Yuqi drink from her bottle. "Shouldn't you also avoid getting drunk? Where is your girlfriend?"

"She and the Mimin couple dragged Soojin to where the haunted house is," Yuqi took another sip. "I didn't feel like going. What about you?" 

"I'm enjoy some fresh air away from all the couples and gross sweetness" 

"Yeah, Yeah; Whatever…" Shuhua frowned and reached toward Yuqi's bottle and took it from her hands. "Hey!"

"Enough drinking, you get easily upset when you're drunk and I don't wanna deal with that" The younger said, taking a sip for herself as she glanced at the other who rolled her eyes.

"You never want to deal with anything" 

"What is your deal?" Shuhua asked, putting the bottle on a table nearby. "Is Soyeon not satisfying you?" She mocked as she started to drink again.

"Don't talk about her like that"

"Oh come on, Yuqi" Shuhua started. "You really think you can fool me of all people?" The younger one said. "We both know you don't like Soyeon"

"You're the last person who can judge me about this" Yuqi replied, voice louder than intended but with the loud music nobody was really paying attention to them, it wasn't uncommon to see drunk teenagers fighting anyway. "All you do is look at her with puppy eyes and hope one day she'll look at you"

"She has nothing to do with this! Don't bring her up" Shuhua said, starting to feel upset as well, maybe it was the alcohol starting to have an effect on her or maybe it was just Yuqi getting on her nerves with her own drunkenness and words. "I'm not the one dating someone out of pity" she accused. 

"You-"

"At least I'm not a coward like you and have enough courage to reject someone" 

Yuqi didn't reply to them and Shuhua seemed to realize what she said and how the others would take it. She tries to reach for the other's hand but Yuqi moves away, stumbling a little due to still being dizzy.

"Yuqi, I didn't mean to-"

"I'm going after my girlfriend," the other said. "Have fun being alone loving someone who's never gonna see you as anything other than a kid" The words hurt, but Shuhua doesn't talk back, she deserves it. 

**.**

**.**

**.**

Soojin felt her legs shake as her back touched the wall and she tried to take deep breaths; She hated haunted houses. Definitely not good for her heart at all, combined with the loud noises, Soojin just wanted to sneak away and go back home as soon as she could.

Thankfully the couples let her slip away after an oddly upset Yuqi, who was trying not to look upset, dragged Soyeon away with her to dance and Minnie and Miyeon were being too lovey-dovey for Soojin’s taste so as soon as she could, she walked away to regain her breath but right now the flashing light was bothering her eyes so she decided to leave to somewhere quieter.

She was thankful the auditorium was off limits for the party, she wouldn’t want people to ruin the scenario and hard work by throwing on the stage or something, it was bad enough Soojin had to give away some of her allowance so they all could buy fresh paint; So yeah, not having a bunch of teenagers partying there was a relief.

‘ _ Oh god. I’m starting to sound like Shuhua _ ” The cheerleader thought as she made her way inside the place, her hand reaching for one of the light switches, so just a bit of the stage was lit up; Alone and with some peace and quiet at last, if you ignore the muffled noise of the song outside. Soojin climbed the stage and got comfortable against one of the trees, as much as one could against the cardboard, and picked up her phone to kill some time. 

For a moment she considered calling or texting her sister but she would rather avoid being the butt of the joke for the following weeks over not being able to handle a party for more than 2 hours so she decided to stick with stalking people on social media and listening to her playlist, and she was so focused on that she didn’t even noticed someone else walking in until she gasped, startled once she notices the pair of boots from the corner of her eyes. 

She took off her earpods and looked up and saw Shuhua, drinking from her bottle as she looked down to the older.

“What are you doing here?”

“Hiding. Same as you”

Soojin squinted her eyes.

“Is that alcohol?”

“...Maybe”

“You- ah!” She gasped again once she felt a cold bottle against her cheek and quickly moved away, after taking a good look she realized the younger was carrying another one and handing it over to her. "What-"

"I was planning on drinking alone but-" Shuhua shrugged as she sat next to Soojin, shoulder squeezed against the older who hesitantly took the bottle from her hand. "I saw you here so I might as well share, consider this repayment for the lunchbox" Shuhua added before drinking again. Soojin did the same. 

"Next time just cook for me" The cheerleader said, it was mostly teasing and she knew Shuhua noticed that because she smiles before quietly laughing. "That's the best way to repay me"

"You want food poisoning?" The younger one teased. 

"...On second thought, the beer is just fine" 

Shuhua loudly laughs this time and Soojin does the same before drinking again, the taiwanese's eyes on her before she looks to the ceiling; Soojin does the same.

"I get the feeling you know why Yuqi was upset early"

"It's just an argument between friends," Shuhua said. "It will pass"

Soojin nods; She understood, there were times where She and Soyeon fought as well and went days without talking to each other, too proud to admit one of them or both of them were in the wrong so she knew what Shuhua was talking about, it will pass but somehow the sad gaze she had in her eyes made the older feel this wasn't just a simple argument. 

"I said some things I shouldn't," Shuhua added, noticing the other's stare. "And heard things I didn't wanted to but… it will pass"

"It will" Soojin agreed, bumping her shoulder against Shuhua's playfully, as if to distract her from whatever sad thoughts she had right now. "Soyeon and I fight sometimes too, it's okay" 

Shuhua wanted to say it wasn't the same but decided to just keep on drinking instead; Soojin watched curiously as Shuhua moved around and laid on the floor, arms spread out as she looked to the ceiling.

"You look like a starfish" She teased and Shuhua smiled at her, Soojin drank another sip from her bottle. "What are you thinking?"

"A lot of things" She answered with a frown, lifting her head just enough to keep on drinking before resting her head against the floor again, closing her eyes. "Ever felt like nothing is ever enough?" She asked and as expected there was no answer from Soojin, she didn't expect one, Shuhua was starting to think this empty feeling in her chest will never go away.

Then she felt a pressure against her left arm and she opened her eyes and looked to the side and saw Soojin on the floor next to her with her head resting on her arm; She was thankful for the shitty lighting on the stage because she was pretty sure the cheerleader's action made her blush; She never had someone laying next to her like this. It was certainly the alcohol's fault.

"I work hard to get what I want," Shuhua started. "and sometimes I do things I shouldn't to get what I want… But somehow it never feels enough" She didn't know how to express fully what she meant, she internally cursed the korean language. "I always feel like there's more than I can be doing or achieving"

"I… Kinda relate?" She heard the other say and so Shuhua turned her head to look at Soojin who did the same. "I don't think I'm… enough? I think?" The girl says and Shuhua stays silent but nods as if to encourage her to keep going. "I mean… I only picked cheerleading because my sister was one of her school days and my parents were really proud of her because of it" Soojin was silent for a second. "I think I'm just trying to follow what I think-"

"Will they get their attention?" Shuhua suggested with a smile and Soojin nods, knowing the other knew what she meant; She wouldn't have picked acting and basketball, two things she knew Shuhua's parents had given up in their younger days, for no reason; It seems the both of them wanted validation so bad. "What are you good at?"

"Me?" Shuhua nods and Soojin hums as she thinks. "Dance, I think? I mean the dance club was my first option before cheerleading because I like dancing but the club was shut down on my first year here" She laughs and Shuhua does the same, bumping their heads together almost naturally. "What about you?"

"Me? I'm good at everything-"

"Ah! Yeh Shuhua-"

"Fine, Fine-" The girl said and thought hard about it. "I actually like acting, more than playing basketball, to be honest" She confessed with a sincere smile and Soojin moved closer, her right leg moving over Shuhua's left leg but neither of them noticed the movement. "I wanted to be an actress when I'm older but… I'll stick with being a lawyer like my dad"

Soojin hummed against. 

"You should do what you want to do," She said and Shuhua giggles.

"Same goes for you" Shuhua then moved her body to lay on her side, her arm still under Soojin's head who blinked nervously as the younger got closer to her. "You like dancing, right?"

"Yeah?" Soojin frowned at the question. 

"Then dance for me"

"Now?"

"Yeah!" Shuhua said as she watched as Soojin sat up, the younger did the same and then grabbed the older's phone. "You have some cool songs right- OH!" She pressed play as soon as she saw Troublemaker. "You have good taste!"

"are you serious?" Soojin asked, standing up and Shuhua laughed still on the floor as she remembered to keep on drinking before the beer is too warm. 

"Yeah, go go!" She said and Soojin took a large gulp of her own beer to get some courage and Shuhua laughed at the action before clapping.

Soojin blames the alcohol for her sudden courage of dancing to Shuhua of all people, just the two of them alone in the auditorium while the younger was sitting on the floor drinking with a lazy smile on her lips and if someone asked Shuhua she would do the same, it was just the alcohol that made them have fun together without arguing. 

She was too drunk, it's why she thought Soojin's moves as she dances to the song playing on the phone were good, the shy girl who reads the scripts with a small voice suddenly replaced by something else, someone else even; not like when she was in the her cheerleader uniform cheering for them on game night, the fire in her eyes was different and Shuhua knew she was doing what she was passionate about and that made her smile; She wanted to see more of that look in her eyes.

"Ah, You made me look like an idiot" Soojin complained, sitting right next to Shuhua who shook her head. 

"No, You're a good-" She hiccups" Dancer" Soojin laughs at that and her hand almost automatically reaches for her cheek, squeezing it tightly between her fingers tips as Shuhua gasps, surprised. “Hey! my poor cheeks!” She complained, caressing them with a pout, trying her best to look grumpy but all she looked was sleepy. 

“You know what?” Soojin asked, with a sudden boost of energy from the alcohol, and Shuhua looked at her in curiosity. “This party is boring, It’s not as fun being the third wheel”

“Tell me about it”

“Did you see her today?” Soojin asked and Shuhua knew who she was talking about and under normal circumstances, where she was sober, she would ignore the question but alcohol was doing the talk right now.

“Yes…”Soojin noticed the enamored smile and the loving gaze in her eyes. “She looked so beautiful. I could look at her all day”

She wants to ask more, maybe get her identity out of Shuhua but something inside her doesn’t let her; Why can’t she just ask and get an answer? Isn’t that what she wanted to know?

She decided to change the topic and stood up, bringing Shuhua with her.

“I thought I said you were going to be a vampire” She mentions, picking the bottle on the floor and drinking what was left of the now warm beer. Shuhua rolled her eyes.

“I gave mine to Miyeon” Now the size makes sense, Soojin thought. “She didn’t get that Minnie wanted to match costumes so I just gave her mine… Don’t tell tho”

“I won’t” Soojin smiled, walking towards the piano and placing the empty bottle on top of it before she sighs. “You’re a good friend” She says, more like admitting it to herself. 

Shuhua is silent, thinking about Yuqi again. “No, I’m not”

Shuhua finished her drink with a big gulp, cleaning the corners of her mouth with the back of her hand as she sighs, thinking of how to apologize on the next day, but her thought are interrupted by Soojin walking into her line of vision and standing in front of her.

“What?”

“This party is boring…”The older comments. “Walk me home”

**.**

**.**

**.**

The streets weren’t as empty that night, as they walked together on the sidewalk while some people and their kids walked around as well as couples here and there, it was a pleasant night to go out if it wasn’t for the cold and their costumes wasn’t exactly made to protect them from the weather and they had to leave Soojin’s car behind as neither of them had any conditions to drive.

“You know… It’s good that I’m walking you home” Shuhua added as they walked and Soojin turned to look at her with a frown. “Your costume is too short” That sounds like she’s complaining, Soojin can even see the frown between her eyebrows. “I would probably be worried if you were to go home alone”

“So the big bad wolf will protect the little red riding hood?” She asked, teasing and Shuhua smirked. 

“Sounds like a cool story,” Shuhua admitted. “Aren’t you giving me inspiration today, maybe next year we can have a halloween play about that”

Soojin laughed. “I promise not to steal the main role from you again”

“That’s a relief”

Talking and Walking was too entertaining and before they realized they'd arrived at Soojin’s house, the lights were off and Shuhua frowned, wondering if her parents were already asleep and they arrived later than expected.

“Will you be in trouble?” Shuhua asked, pointing at the lights turned off. “I can come in and explain-”

“My parents aren’t home,” Shuhua heard Soojin say. “They’re still at work… doctors ya know”

“Ah… well, Little Red. You’re safe at home now” Shuhua motions for her to move “Go, Go. My bodyguard services have a time limit” The blonde rolled her eyes and made her way to the front door, while Shuhua stood there and watched her. “Seo Soojin!” She called. 

The older looked back at her, curious. 

“What?”

“You’re my friend” 

She’s caught off guard by the statement, but Shuhua’s words felt sincere for the first time in a while and her gaze made sure to hold Soojin’s as the older was trying to process what was said and as she looks back to how they have been behaving for the past weeks, even their bickering was no longer her trying to kill Shuhua at any opportunity, It didn’t take long for Soojin to realize they were, kind of, friends.

She smiles at Shuhua, it’s small and shy but the taiwanesse could still see it.

“I guess I am…”

“Then Goodnight, friend!” The girl said loudly, receiving a small ‘goodnight’ from Soojin who made her way inside under the gaze of the other girl who smiles to herself before walking away.

**.**

**.**

**.**

**October 21**

  
  


_ Dear not-a-diary, _

_ You remember  _ **_that_ ** _ Seo Soojin? _

_ She’s my friend now. _


	24. Chapter 24




_ "You think we're going right away?" Shuhua asked, walking right behind Yuqi who was currently in charge of getting them to the library so they could get some books for their essay, they were still new to the school building so the chinese girl had to steal the school map from the teachers' office so they could know where they're going; _

_ Shuhua stood up her tiptoes to peek over Yuqi's shoulder.  _

_ "Should be around here!" Yuqi replied, tilting the map as if it would be better to read. "I don't know what that word means tho" She points and Shuhua fixes her glasses as she stares at what she was pointing at.  _

_ "Me neither" _

_ Both sigh. "Korean is hard"  _

_ The younger one held Yuqi's arm against her chest as she whined. "Yuqi, we're lost" _

_ "We're not lost… we just-" She frowns for a second "We didn't find the correct way yet" _

_ "Since when you're so-" Shuhua stopped and Yuqi looked at her. "Optimistic!" She then added, in their mother tongue.  _

_ "Optimistic" Yuqi repeated, in Korean. "That's the word you want and I'm always optimistic!" She then added. "You're just too negative" She added as they kept on walking. _

_ "I'm realistic!" _

_ "Ok, Emo" _

_ "Hey- Wait, is that the library?" She pointed out to the room with big open windows, full of bookshelves inside.  _

_ "Oh! I guess it is!"  _

_ They made their way inside as quietly as possible, there was only two other students, most likely seniors, inside and one of them was sleeping on his chair with a book on top of his face while his friend was playing something on his phone; Yuqi held Shuhua's hand as they walked towards a desk in the corner.  _

_ "Ok, now you will search for those books" She gave Shuhua the names. "and I'll look for the others" _

_ The younger smiled. "If I find them first you'll have to buy me lunch."  _

_ "You little- Fine."  _

_ Both placed their bags on top of the desk and moved to different sections, Yuqi was confident she would win, even if it wasn't a competition, after all her korean was better than Shuhua's so she was almost certain she would bring back at least 2 wrong books.  _

_ As for Shuhua she walks around looking to the piece of paper in her hands and at the books on the shelf, frowning as she wasn't quite sure if she should be upset at the Korean language or Yuqi's ugly handwriting; The girl squeals once finds one of the books, and making sure it was the correct one. However it was too high up for her to reach, even on her tiptoes and she even tried jumping. _

_ "Do you need help?" She heard someone ask with a hand being gently placed on her shoulder; She turned around and saw the tall, black haired girl looking at her with a gentle smile, bangs almost covering her eyes. _

_ "I-... Yes" She admitted and the other chuckles as she easily reached for the book. "Woah! you're tall!" She said and the other laughed as she handed her the book. _

_ "My name is Kim Minnie," The older said. "You're the new kid right? the one who walks around with the cute girl" _

_ "Yeah, That's Yuqi, My best friend!" The girl replied. "She's picking some books with me! But… Korean is hard"  _

_ "Oh, I can help if you want" _

_ "Oh, thank you so much! Kim Minnie- Unnie!" _

_ Meanwhile Yuqi picked the last book she needed with a smug smile on her face as she walked back to the table, but her smile dropped once she saw Shuhua was already there.  _

_ With some other girl she never saw before, which made Yuqi frown as she knew Shuhua wasn't exactly the extroverted type. _

_ "Oh, Yuqi!" The girl said once she spotted her best friend and gestured for her to come closer. "This is Kim Minnie-Unnie!"  _

_ "Hello!" The older said, with a smile. "I was helping your friend finding her books" _

_ "Ah…" It's all what Yuqi said, watching as this Minnie pats Shuhua's head. "Well, thanks for your help, Unnie. But we should work on our essay now" Yuqi said as she sat down. _

_ "I can help if you guys want." The elder offered with a smile and before Yuqi could say anything Shuhua had already accepted it, with a smile on her face.  _

_ xxx _

_ "What are those for?" Yuqi asked, weeks later, pointing at the plastic bag tied with a light pink bow that Shuhua had been carrying; there were cookies inside. _

_ The taiwanese smiled. _

_ "It's for Minnie-Unnie; I baked them myself!" She proudly says. "The girls in the cooking club helped me. They are very friendly" _

_ Yuqi wanted to say something about how those girls aren't being friendly for no reason but decided to stay quiet and focus on the "issue" in front of her. _

_ "Why are you baking her cookies?" She didn't mean to sound upset, but a green-eyed monster has been making its way into her chest the past few days, and she might have been a bit more hostile to Minnie than intended.  _

_ Much like Shuhua, Yuqi wasn't the type of person to mask what she was feeling; Both of them are open books. _

_ She couldn't help but feel a bit left out. _

_ "She has been really nice to us" Shuhua replied, as if it was obvious and Yuqi held back the urge to say she was just nice to Shuhua and that her intentions were suspicious."and she has been helping me with my Korean-" _

_ "I could help you with that!" Yuqi crossed her arms, a big pout on her lips. "I would teach you even better!"  _

_ "... I just wanted to show my gratitude." The girl frowned. "Why are you so upset?" _

_ "I'm not upset"  _

_ Shuhua was going to say something but she stopped once she noticed Minnie walking into the room and she quickly lifted her arm to get her attention and Yuqi sunk on her seat as the older came to them.  _

_ xxx _

_ Shuhua made her way across the locker room, looking for Yuqi as she knew her last period was gym, whoever she wasn't finding the girl. The only ones around were the cheerleaders for their afterclass practices, which made the girl confused since Yuqi should be there waiting for her like always. _

_ "Are you lost, kid?" She heard someone ask behind her and saw a girl around her height and another girl with red hair, standing behind her; Jeon Soyeon and Seo Soojin, it was hard to miss the duo despite Shuhua never seeing them being talkative.  _

_ "I have been looking for my friend, Yuqi" She said and watched as the girls looked at each other. "Have you seen her? She's-" _

_ "Oh the cute girl" Soyeon said, making Soojin chuckle as she shakes her head. _

_ "Her class ended about 10 minutes ago" It was the taller one, Soojin, who said that. "So I think she already left." _

_ "Oh." She then bowed to them. "Thank you, Seo Soojin-Unnie! Jeon Soyeon-Unnie" She said before making her way out, hearing Soyeon giggles while Soojin said something along the lines of 'cute'.  _

_ As for Shuhua, she eventually found Yuqi in the parking lot, making her way out, which made the younger girl quickly run towards her best friend and grab her arm. _

_ "Yuqi! You were leaving without me!" The girl complained and Yuqi squinted her eyes. _

_ "Ask Minnie-Unnie to walk you home!"  _

_ "Why are you being like this today?" _

_ Yuqi didn't reply, she just held Shuhua's arm and started to walk towards home, or well, Shuhua's house. Their walk was silent, Shuhua looked at Yuqi in confusion while the older was pouting and had a big frown.  _

_ "Well, even if you're so grumpy-" _

_ "I'm not grumpy" _

_ "Here." Yuqi stopped on her tracks as she saw Shuhua reaching for something in her bag and took a plastic bag, similar to the one she saw before but bigger and with a yellow bow wrapped around it. "I was meant to give you this after your period but you ran away" She places them on Yuqi's hands. "I baked a lot so- … wait are you crying?!" She asked, panicking once she noticed the other sniffing and her tears running down her cheeks.  _

_ Shuhua quickly walked closer and tried to look at her face but the other was covering it with her arms, cleaning her tears with her sleeves. _

_ "Why? Why?" Shuhua asked. "You didn't like the cookies? I'll buy you ice cream instead then, just stop crying-" _

_ "I thought you didn't want to be my friend anymore" She heard the girl say, in their mother tongue and Shuhua felt her heart ache at those words. "I thought you wanted to be friends only with Minnie-Unnie" _

_ "Ah you idiot" She answered softly, hugging the other. "You're my best friend! I'm never leaving you!" _

_ xxx _

  
  


**2018**

Shuhua watched, leaning against one of the windows from the hallway on the third floor, the students below, running around and talking with each other as she sighs, remembering how things used to be easier when her biggest problems were making sure she was on time for class; Now she had love feelings to worry about and an upset Yuqi to apologize to. 

She felt arms wrapped around her shoulders, hugging her from behind and she quickly looked back before she smirked. 

"Does your girlfriend know you approach girls like this?" The younger one teased and Minnie laughed.

"Well, You're our baby so it's fine" The older replied and Shuhua frowned.

"I don't remember agreeing to be adopted by a pair of lesbians"

"woah, homophobic" The other said, pretending to be shocked which made Shuhua laugh before getting serious again. "So… what happened?"

"What?"

"You seem worried? Both you and Yuqi do, actually"

"Ah… we kinda argued yesterday" The girl said, looking down the window and noticing Yuqi talking with her friends. "I was mean to her" she looked back to Minnie. "Did… Did she tell you anything?"

"No, I usually avoid Yuqi when you two fight" Minnie let her go from the embrace. "She got really upset when I tried to help last time and I still don't know why"

Shuhua laughs. "That's ah… Yuqi was just jealous of us so I'm not surprised she didn't wanted your help when it comes to be in good terms with me"

"I thought she got over that phase," Minnie said, leaning over the window as well. 

"She still has her moments, don't worry too much about it" Shuhua said. 

It was true, She knew Yuqi saw Minnie as a friend and less like a threat to their friendship now, but she was a jealous friend either way and the taiwanesse couldn't exactly judge her, she was a jealous person as well and would most likely behave the same if she felt someone intended to steal her best friend from her.

But unlike Yuqi, Shuhua knew that she could never act on her own jealousy when it comes to the one she loves. 

"What I think is-" Minnie suddenly said, eyes focused on the students down below. "you two were drunk, I wouldn't take a drunk person's words to heart"

"I thought being drunk is when you're the most honest" 

"Not always," Minnie said. "Communication is always the way to go… Especially when Sober"

"I guess you're right"

**.**

**.**

**.**

Soojin had a feeling she was becoming obsessive like Shuhua; It might have something to do with the fact she was wasting her free time to stay in the library reading her script as she drinks her watermelon juice, eyes focused on the words; The cheerleader could almost hear the taiwanese's voice at the back of her head nagging her about a good performance.

"Hey" Someone whispered behind her, hand on the back of her neck then dragging it to her shoulders as she sat right next to her; Speaking of the devil, there was Yeh Shuhua. "My friend" She said with a smirk and Soojin sighs. 

"Hello" She replied, softly. "Do you need something?"

"Are you reading the script?" She answered with another question as she leaned closer to Soojin who moved the script so the other could read with her.

"mhm" 

Shuhua stayed in her position, her face close to Soojin until she rested her chin on the older's shoulder but Soojin didn't mind and kept on reading, they were friends now, Soojin told herself. This much physical contact was normal, but she couldn't help but think how if this was before she would have tried to slap Shuhua for touching her. 

She glanced at the younger again and noticed that unlike how she used to, her gaze wasn't focused on the script at all, but instead on the desk where she was quietly tapping her fingers, bothered by something but not wanting to interrupt Soojin's reading. 

"What?" She asked, turning her head to the side, and Shuhua looked up to her in confusion. "You're sulking on my shoulder"

"I don't sulk." 

"Yes you do, this is what happens when you spend too much time with Minnie," Soojin said. "You get emo"

"I'm just thinking of how to talk to Yuqi, that's all" The younger replied. "I think she has been avoiding me-"

"What did you say to her?" Soojin asked. Meanwhile Shuhua would rather not tell Soojin that their argument started because of her saying insensitive things about Soyeon. 

"It's personal reasons" 

Soojin shakes her head. 

"You lie too easily" It's all Soojin said and Shuhua didn't reply but moved away from her. 

Then she felt Soojin hold her hand; Shuhua didn't know how to react but moved her hand so she could hold the older's hand back, she doesn't know why. She just felt like it. 

Then Soojin's grip on her hand became tighter to the point it started to hurt and the taiwanese realized she fell for her trap.

"Ouch! Ouch! My Hand-"

"Soyeon told me that you said mean things about her to Yuqi-" 

"I'm sorry, it was in the heat of the moment!-" She quickly defended herself. "She was talking about-" She quickly stopped herself and Soojin released her hand right away as if it burned her skin.

"Ah, So that's why you two argued," She said. "Because of a  _ girl _ "

Shuhua looked away. 

"When you put it like that-"

"You mean the truth?" Soojin sighed and shook her head. "Just apologize to her and try to be honest for once"

"You make it sound like I'm always lying"

' _ That's because you are _ ' Soojin thought. ' _ Or maybe I just don't trust you enough yet _ '

But that's something to think about some other day. 

**.**

  
  


**.**

  
  


**.**

Shuhua found Yuqi standing alone at the Basketball Court after class, bouncing a ball on the floor as she looks around, waiting for Shuhua to show up after sending her a text during lunch break; The Yuyeon couple didn't eat with them that day for obvious reasons and Shuhua had to deal with Soojin's judging gaze while the Mimin couple tried to get rid of the awkward mood.

So much for her first day as friends with Soojin. 

"Hey"

"...Hey" 

There's the awkward silence and Yuqi throws the ball at Shuhua who quickly catches it before she sighs, tired.

"I'm sorry for what I said before, I've crossed a line" The taiwanesse said. "I just got upset and said things that I shouldn't"

"You seem to be doing that a lot lately" Yuqi replied, walking past the girl and walking towards the benches so she could sit down, Shuhua followed right behind, eyes focused on the ball on her hands while Yuqi played with her own hands. "You've changed so much for her" 

Shuhua opened her mouth to protest but closed it again, Yuqi wasn't wrong. She did. 

"I know"

"And for what? someone who doesn't see you that way?" Yuqi shakes her head. 

"When they break up I'll have a chance and-"

" _ Goddammit, are you even listening to yourself!? _ " Yuqi interrupted, annoyed, as she switched to mandarim. " _ The Shuhua I knew would never be excited for someone else's break up! _ "

" _ Yuqi, This is not what I mean… _ " That was a lie, yet another one. 

_ You lie too easily. _

Soojin's words ring in the back of her head as she looks at Yuqi, who frowns as she shakes her head, not believing her words. 

" _ My best friend, Shuhua, used to be an open book _ " She started, playing with her own hands as she looked down. " _ I could read your pages like no one else and you did the same to mine. _ " She looked at the Taiwanesse. " _ Now it feels like your pages are written in a foreign language _ ." There's a sigh. "What happened to you?" She asked in Korean.

She doesn't know how to reply, couldn't. Because she knew Yuqi was right, she changed so much in so little time and for what? to become someone's second option if not the third and fourth? The girl shakes her head and drops the ball on the floor before she looks at Yuqi.

" _ I guess I let others rip off my pages and write what they want on them _ "

**.**

  
  


**.**

  
  


**.**

"Did you apologize?" Soojin asked as she approached Shuhua in the parking lot while the younger was putting her blazer inside her bag before she turned to look at the older with a surprised look; She closed the bag and finally turned around and looked at Soojin.

"I did," She replied. "But I think things still gonna be awkward for a while" 

"That's normal," Soojin said."It's usually like that between friends… you two never fought before?"

Shuhua frowned before she chuckles and shakes her head. "I can count on my fingers how many times me and Yuqi got into an actual fight, that answers your question." 

"I see" The older one says as she starts to walk, Shuhua follows right after.

"Soojin"

"Hm?"

"Can I walk you home today?" The younger asked, as if she wasn't already following the cheerleader who arched an eyebrow at the younger. 

"Again?"

"Can't I walk my new friend home?" She asked, with a playful gaze and Soojin smiled. ' _ Friend, huh? _ '

"You know, Usually it's the older person's duty to walk the younger home, not the other way around-"

"Do you wanna go out this weekend?" Shuhua suggested.

Soojin blinked a few times as she tried to process Shuhua's words, who looked amused by the fact she caught Soojin out of guard. 

"What?"

"Go out, This weekend." She smiles "Usually Yuqi and I go out but since she's with Soyeon now and I don't wanna invite Minnie because I know Miyeon will come too so-"

"I'm your second option" Soojin said, with an accusing tone. "Woah, your  _ third  _ option!"

"It's not like that" The younger laughed. "But since we're friends we should hang out too you know"

"Where?"

"You can pick the place" Shuhua said and Soojin frowned, thinking of a place they could go and have fun.

"I know a place, you'll know when we are there" The older said. "For now is a secret"

Shuhua rolled her eyes but smiled before nodding, agreeing with her terms as they kept on walking.

**.**

  
  


**.**

  
  


**.**

She met Soojin in front of the older's house but wasn't allowed to come in because according to the cheerleader she didn't want to see the taiwanesse drooling over her older sister, a statement which was met with Shuhua laughing despite her cheeks turning red from embarrassment. 

"You're not the first one," Soojin said, eventually as they walked down the sidewalk. "Miyeon had the same reaction when she saw my sister" She smiles remembering, Minnie was moody the whole day after that. 

"I mean she is pretty h-"

"Shut Up"

"Yes Ma'am!" The younger replied but Soojin could tell Shuhua was mocking her by the way she smirked right after. "So where are we going?" 

“You’ll know when we get there”

“Seo Soojin, are you taking me to my death?” Shuhua asked with a smirk. “You’re taking this innocent, foreign girl far away from her home to some unknown place… You’re acting sus!”

“Shut Up, Dumbass. It’s just a club; Families hang out there ya know?” Shuhua nods but she can’t say she knows anything about that, the only time her family hangs out with each other was during dinner while her father is questioning her grades as always. 

“So you go there with your parents a lot?” Shuhua asked, offering her arm to Soojin as they walked across the street together. 

“No, just with my sister most of the time. They’re too busy most of the time”

Shuhua nods again. She knows the feeling, however she didn’t have a sibling to help her spend time with, so when Yuqi wasn’t around she spent most of her days alone writing in her diary-.... well, “not-a-diary”.

“I think you’ll have fun,” Soojin suddenly said and Shuhua smiled.

“I know I will”

The younger looks forward, missing how Soojin looked at her and smiled softly as they kept on walking; Neither of them noticing how their arms were still interlocked. 


	25. Chapter 25

Soojin wasn't blind, as much as she didn't wanted to say it out loud and feed the basketball player's ego, she was more than aware of how beautiful Shuhua is, with the pale skin and attractive eyes, fitting the korean beauty standard despite being foreign, and how she always got people's attention on her thanks to that; But that didn't make it any less annoying to walk around and having girls and boys pass by them with their eyes fixed on the taiwanese girl who didn't seem bothered at all as she looks around this new place they've walked in. 

"This place is huge, what do you even do here?" Shuhua asked as they walked into the bar area and ordered some drinks, Shuhua still looking around amazed by everything, meanwhile Soojin looked at Shuhua with a smile in her face; For a moment all the cheerleader could see was the cute 16 year old girl who had a strong accent and followed Minnie around instead of the cocky captain of the basketball team that had girls all over her. 

' _ what changed? _ ' She wondered for a second before the waiter came with their drinks, watermelon juice for the both of them, Shuhua enjoyed her drink as they walked around the place while Soojin looked at the younger. 

"Oh, unnie, where do we go now?" She asked and it took Soojin some time to register what Shuhua said as her mind was too focused on how she was called unnie again; It's the expected from someone younger but coming from Shuhua it felt different somehow. 

Different, but not bad. It felt oddly  _ good _ , But she couldn't tell why and there's something in the back of her head saying that she should know.

Soojin took Shuhua by her hand as she guided her around the place, They end playing billiards after Shuhua saw the pool table and asked to play, Soojin couldn't stop smiling at her excitement, she was like a kid and it was the first time she wasn't using all her energy to overwork herself so the older end up doing whatever she wanted.

"Oh! You're good!" Shuhua said as she watched Soojin play, her own hands awkwardly holding the cue stick as she watched the other girl move around, standing next to her. "I never played this-"

Soojin gasps, faking surprise. "You're telling me you're not good at  _ everything _ ?" She mocked while the younger rolled her eyes and frowned, looking at the pool table again before she felt Soojin's hands on her hips. 

"What-"

"Just lean in, I'll help you dumbass" She replied, but the younger could feel a new type of warmth in her words as she smiles at Soojin before looking forward again and doing what she said; She was her friend now, Soojin of all people and of course, as they kept playing, it was no surprise when Soojin eventually won much to Shuhua's annoyance, always the sore loser; So the older was more than willing to make fun of the younger's pout. 

"You can't win every game-"

"Yeah, Yeah. Wait until I get better and I'll win against you" 

"You're so competitive" Soojin playfully slapped her shoulder and Shuhua ended up laughing before playing the serious role again, mumbling something about how she was great at games which had Soojin rolling her eyes. "Okay so what about we move on to something else?" That caught Shuhua's attention.

"Like what? Another game?" Soojin shook her head and held the younger's hand, taking Shuhua with her as she walked around. 

Soojin eventually took Shuhua with her to the bridge near the lake the club had, close to where some families were playing golf which had Shuhua making even more jokes about rich families and their boring sports;However as they stood together at the bridge, they fell silent taking in the view as the sun was starting to go down, and Soojin was a bit embarrassed as she notices all the couples around them, hugging each other and some were even kissing! Suddenly she felt like they both stood out in this sea of affection. 

She looked at the younger, she seemed anxious, her hands playing with her own fingers as she looked around, her eyes never stopping on something and Soojin was wondering if she was awkward about being around too many couples as well, but then again she always saw Shuhua hugging Yuqi and Minnie all the time, she didn't think the younger would have a problem with some PDA. 

Soojin gently taps her hand, and Shuhua quickly looks at her. 

"Are you okay?" 

"Me?"

Soojin chuckles. "Yeah, Who else?" She joked, trying to get rid of the sudden awkward tension as Shuhua scratched the back of her head. 

"Can we move to s-somewhere else?" Shuhua asked.

"What, What's wrong? You're not liking it?" Suddenly she felt her insecurity building up in her own chest, replaying the past moments in her head trying to find something that went wrong but they had fun so far so she doesn't understand the sudden mood swing, She was just trying her best to become friends with her.

"I'm really scared of water" She heard Shuhua say and suddenly all of her overthinking stopped as she stared the younger in surprise by those words, suddenly thinking back of all the pool parties she refused to go with them and how nervous she was on Soojin's backyard a few weeks ago, her back turned to the pool the whole time. 

"Oh, I'm… I didn't know-"

"It's okay" Shuhua reassured her. "Only Yuqi knows about it" She added, looking into her eyes and Soojin held her gaze, knowing she was doing it to calm herself and avoid looking around too much. 

"Why did you let me drag you here?"

"I didn't want to ruin the mood and," She laughs, and Soojin tilts her head to the side, was that a hint of shyness? "You looked really happy" she added with a smile and Soojin smiled back before looking down at her feet then back at Shuhua.

“That’s oddly nice coming from you, are you sick?” She asked and the younger frowned. 

“Ah, You- … We were having a moment and you ruined it!” Soojin laughs at her reaction but then offers Shuhua her hand; She has been doing that a lot in the past few days, but didn’t quite realize it yet.

Shuhua held her hand almost automatically then looked at the older.

“Come on, let’s get you somewhere comfortable”

  
  


**.**

  
  


**.**

  
  


**.**

  
  


“CAREFUL!” Soojin flinches at how high Miyeon’s voice is, she should definitely be a singer with those lungs. “Don’t drop it!”

“I’m sorry but Yuqi has no sense of direction!” Soojin complained, ignoring the younger glaring at her; Both were carrying a huge chocolate cake, since the one Miyeon was supposed to bake that morning for Minnie’s birthday passed away due to her being too focused texting everyone to remember she was supposed to focus on the oven; So besides having to pay for decorating Miyeon’s house, they also had to buy a cake as well. 

“Unnie, You keep going left when I’m going right!’

“Why are you going right?! The kitchen is on the left!”

“I thought the cake was going to be in the living room?” They both stood still staring at each other and then Miyeon groaned, she was starting to get frustrated; They only had 20 minutes left until Minnie was here, thankfully Shuhua was doing a good job at distracting her. 

“Take the cake to the kitchen, she can’t see it until it is time!!” Miyeon finally said. “I’m going to finish decorating with Soyeon in the living room. Again, do not drop this cake!”

“Of course, you don’t trust us?”

“No” She then left before the two could react. 

Soojin and Yuqi then took the cake to the kitchen, after Soojin almost had a heart attack once Yuqi suddenly had to sneeze while they tried to keep the cake steady; Thankfully they managed to place it on top of the kitchen counter and sigh in relief never expecting for this to be the most stressful moment of their life. So far at least. 

Soojin then heard her phone buzz and quickly picked it up. 

**Shuhua:**

Are you guys done? 

Minnie is really whiny and sulky

She really thinks my birthday gift for her is a handshake. 

Soojin tried not to laugh at the messages, not noticing Yuqi looking at her wondering what her big smile was about as she texted. 

**Soojin:**

Almost done, We had to replace the cake since Miyeon kind of turned the first cake attempted into a rock. 

**Shuhua:**

Who allowed her to cook?!

**Soojin:**

You're not that much better, silly!

She heard a cough and looked up, suddenly realizing Yuqi was still there, watching her with a curious look in her face as she vaguely pointed at her phone, the hint of a smirk on her lips. 

"Did you finally get Hui's number?" Soojin frowned at the odd question, not knowing why she thought the younger was bringing up the boy. 

"No, It's Shuhua-" 

"Shuhua?"

"Yeah, she was asking if we're done" She replied, and Yuqi felt even more confused; She sent Soojin a text? Not her or Miyeon? That was odd, as odd as the smile on Soojin's lips as she was texting. "I'll go ask Miyeon if I should tell them to come" It's all she said before leaving the kitchen, phone still in hands as she typed away. 

**.**

  
  


**.**

  
  


**.**

  
  


"Why are you pouting?" Shuhua asked, earning a glare from Minnie "Seriously, aren't you the unnie here?" She teases, now earning a whining noise. 

"You're so mean to me!" Minnie complained and Shuhua smiled, she was sure if they were sitting right now, the older would be kicking her legs like a petulant child. "I can't believe you forgot my birthday! all of you" She crossed her arms. "Even Miyeon"

"I'm sorry, school and the halloween party got in the way" Shuhua replied, trying her best to keep herself from telling the truth but the frown and pout combo was making it hard. "I'll give you a kiss if that's what you want?" She asked, making exaggerated kissy noises to tease Minnie; It seemed to work cause she laughed.

"Where are we going anyways?"

"To Miyeon's place"

"Why? I'm mad at her" The thai said. "She didn't even send me a birthday text!" She added and Shuhua sighs.

"Come on, I'm sure Miyeon didn't mean to hurt your feelings."Shuhua said as she pats her shoulder. "She's just-..." The younger tried to think of a proper word. "Clueless, sometimes" she paused for a second. "A lot of times… About so many things"

"I still wanted a 'happy birthday' text" Minnie replied. 

"Well, why don't we go to her place and you can tell her how you feel?"

**.**

  
  


**.**

  
  


**.**

  
  


It goes without saying that Minnie was definitely surprised when walking into Miyeon's house and finding everything decorated, with pink and white balloons everywhere and, as suggested by Yuqi, Minnie Mouse stickers here and there while her girlfriend stood in front of her with the yuyeon couple on which side of her, clapping as they sing Happy Birthday to her followed by Soojin coming from the kitchen with the chocolate cake that they all agreed lying about and saying Miyeon baked it herself.

Shuhua stood near the door with a smile as she watched Minnie hug Miyeon as she whines over and over about how she thought everyone forgot her birthday, making the others laugh as they apologize; Her eyes then fell on Soojin who was smiling at the couple as well before feeling Shuhua's gaze on her, making her turn to look at the younger who walked to her right away. 

"How was it?" The older one asked once Shuhua was close enough. "Distracting the big baby?" 

Shuhua chuckles. "She almost got the truth out of me for a second, other than that it was funny watching her whine"

"Who would think Minnie was such a baby?" Soojin laughs. "So much for her tough girl image" Shuhua laughs at that as she nods. 

A few minutes later they're in the living room, each one of them with their piece of cake. It was Shuhua's third piece as she was the chocolate lover of the group meanwhile Soojin wasn't eating much, as expected from her Chocolate hater self; Shuhua leaned over the older.

"You eating that?" The girl asked while still chewing the cake from her own plate, Soojin frowned and as she placed one finger on Shuhua's forehead, she pushed the taiwanesse away.

"Eyes off my cake"

"Come on, You're not even eating-" She stops mid sentence when Soojin used the napkin to clean the chocolate stain from the corner of her mouth with an annoyed frown in her face.

"God, are you a toddler? You make such a mess" She mumbled while Shuhua complained at her lack of gentleness to clean her mouth only to be lectured that she should be thankful to have a dedicated unnie. Both of them not noticing the curious gaze of a certain person. 

Once everyone ate their piece of cake, some -It was Shuhua- more than they should, it was time to move on to opening the gifts and of course Miyeon as the girlfriend was the first one, earning a glare from Shuhua.

"I hope you didn't pick the same gift as me  _ again _ " The younger warned holding the box on her lap as she watches Miyeon pick up her own gift and give it to Minnie who quickly opened it, gasping at the pink couple mugs Miyeon got them. 

"That's so cute!"

"That's so lame" Shuhua whispered to Soojin who covered her mouth to keep herself from giggling. "That's something my parents would give to each other" She said, earning a playful slap on the arm. 

Next was Yuqi, with one of those christmas sweaters that Minnie oddly liked to collect, from the times Shuhua has been in the older's room she could make an army of people dressed in those; Somehow she never repeated any of them either; Then it was Soyeon's turn to nobody's surprise she had several volumes of One Piece's manga. 

"Oh my god the weeb is at again" Shuhua said, ignoring her glare.

"I loved it, I'll make sure to read it," Minnie said, hugging the gift. "Ignore Shuhua, I bet she's grumpy because her gift isn't as cool"

"How dare you question my dedication to give you a good gift?" Shuhua said. "I used all my allowance on your gift last year"

"That end up being the same as Miyeon's"

"That sounds like her problem" 

"Anyways-" Soojin finally interrupted before Miyeon could join the 'argument', leaning forward and giving Minnie her own gift, more like almost tossing the box at her.

"Woah didn't even bother to stand up," Shuhua said.

"Shut up" The older said, and to everyone's surprise, Shuhua did while smirking. 

Soojin's gift was actually a perfume, which was Miyeon's suggestion since she didn't know what to choose to give to the older; Of course Minnie was thankful as always before she turned to Shuhua and lifted her hands for the younger to give her gift.

Shuhua arched an eyebrow but eventually rolled her eyes as she stood up and giving it to Minnie, watching as she opened it and then gasping once she realizes what her gift that year was; Troye Sivan’s album, autographed and all, which was very difficult to find and as excited as Minnie looked she sure hoped she wouldn’t notice the-

“Wait-” 

‘ _ God, why do you hate me? _ ’ Shuhua thought, of course Minnie would notice. 

“Who’s Minna?” She asked, pointing to the name and Shuhua shrugs. “You bought someone else’s album?!”

“Just cover the name and pretend it was for you” Shuhua replied as she sat back down and crossed her arms, ignoring Minnie looking at her in shock. “Or you can try to write your name on top of hers?”

“She tried to do that with her Hyuna poster,” Yuqi said. “That’s why she end up ripping the name off”

Besides being disappointed by the fact that the autograph wasn’t dedicated for her, Minnie end up taking Shuhua’s suggestions and trying to write her own name over it much to Miyeon’s distress as she was lecturing Shuhua over lying, but had no right to when her own girlfriend was encouraging her like this; They’re too much alike for her to handle sometimes and eventually actually end up doing a good job at covering up the name with Minnie’s.

The group eventually moved to the backyard, Shuhua was now in charge of carrying what was left of the cake as the Mimin couple set up some chairs for them to sit down, by them it means Miyeon and Soyeon since Minnie was currently trying to teach Yuqi one or two things about basketball while the younger looks utterly confused by her explanation. 

Soojin laughs at that, as she places a cooler, filled with soda, near the table outside, her eyes looking back and seeing Shuhua a bit far away, staring at the ground with this strange look in her face, so the older decided to get closer, hugging her sideways which caused the younger to look at her startled by the sudden motion.

"Are you okay? Do you plan on growing roots there?" She asked playfully and Shuhua looked confused for a second before shaking her head.

"No, It's nothing-" She said as Soojin let her go and crossed her arms casually as she waited for Shuhua to answer properly. "I just had this weird feeling of déjà vu."

The blonde frowned. "That's weird, do you know why?"

"Well-"

"Hey! If you two don't speed up I'm eating the rest of the cake" Minnie said which caused Shuhua to gasp as she quickly grabbed Soojin by her wrist and dragged the older with her as she whines about how she was a guest and Minnie shouldn't eat it all to herself; As for Soojin, the younger's words were still ringing in the back of her head.

Like they always did.

  
  



	26. Chapter 26

**2016**

**June**

_ The thing about being one of the few foreign students of the school is that there will be moments when you won't have someone to help you understand what's going on, or how you'll stay confused in a simple conversation because people are talking too fast for your head to translate or they'll say a word which you don't know the meaning of it and you'll feel stuck; Not a pleasant feeling, but those are still the common problems of not being fluent yet, it's what Shuhua had expected when she arrived to South Korea with her parents a few years ago.  _

_ She knew that Yuqi wouldn't be there all the time to translate things for her, no matter how hard she tried to do just that, going all of her way to make sure Shuhua understood what was written in their textbooks or a new word she didn't know about in the few times she bothered to talk to others; Being known as the "beautiful foreign girl" in school was good when it comes to being pampered, with the boys willing to carry her stuff for her -Yuqi and Minnie always made sure to keep them away- to the girls who either thought she was cute, like a little sister, and wanted to squeeze her cheeks to the ones who thought she was really pretty and most likely had second intentions, Yuqi also made sure to keep them away, arguing Shuhua was still too young to date, Like a protective older sister who didn't trust anyone with her heart just yet. But she would lie if she said that didn't get in the way of her trying to become more social, and being able to communicate better but being her introvert and shy self, she didn't exactly stopped the duo from being her bodyguards.  _

_ It's probably how she got closer to Minnie, She made sure nobody made Shuhua uncomfortable without protecting her too much, she wasn't a fan of shielding others from every bad thing in the world and thought sometimes getting hurt was necessary to grow thicker skin.  _

_ Well, until that one day- _

_ You see, when you're a foreign, people might react to your accent and trouble to pronounce some words as cute and funny, after spending so much time with the cooking club and surrounded by girls way too willing to squeeze her cheeks, she knew that most of the time the reaction she got was 'cute', 'adorable' and among some other things along those lines; God knew that the shade of red on her face wasn't from blushing, well maybe a little.  _

_ But, just like her father had warned her back in middle school on her first day, not everyone likes foreigners, or theirs accents and even worse when you can't pronounce things right, it was easy to feel out of place around those people who had a lot of fun by pointing it out and laughing at every mistake and slip of tongue and for a while Shuhua was too shy to talk, she didn't wanted to be the butt of some joke because she didn't know how to say a word; It started to happen a bit more often than she was comfortable with but despite her cute face and lack of height, she was tough, or tried to be, and did her best to ignore it until she couldn't anymore.  _

_ It was how Minnie found her, hidden under the bleachers on the football field one afternoon when everyone was away in their classes; Minnie had decided to skip class that one afternoon but was surprised that little Shushu -how she nicknamed her- was doing the same, but judging from how wet her cheeks were, it seems she wasn't avoiding class for fun; She moved under the bleachers and watched as Shuhua's face rise from her knees, as she was sitting on the ground alone; eyes meeting Minnie's. _

_ "Shuhua, what's wrong?" It's all she could ask, sitting next to the younger, hands slowly and gently pat her her head, fingers into her long black hair as she strokes it, trying to comfort her but Minnie doesn't believe she was good at that, She was the youngest of her family, used to being the one to be comforted and babied by her parents and her brothers; Being a unnie was new to her and for a moment she wanted to call Yuqi for help, maybe she knows how to deal with this better.  _

_ "I want to go home" She heard Shuhua sob, arms wrapped around her knees as she sank her head even further into her own arms, Minnie shifted closer, as she tries to think of how to deal with this, her hand itches with the need to grab her phone and call Yuqi yet again, but the idea of just giving Shuhua to someone else just cause she couldn't handle a few tears didn't sit right with her.  _

_ "Do you need me to take you home?" She then asked, her voice was lower, as gentle as she could. "My car is in the parking lot-" _

_ Shuhua shakes her head which makes the older frown.  _

_ "No?" _

_ Shuhua shakes her head again. "I want to go  _ **_home,_ ** _ " She said again. "I don't wanna be in Korea anymore, I want to go back to Taiwan" She then said, in the best way she could, between sobs; The cheesy response would be to claim this was her home now but not even Minnie herself believed that. Home is where you feel happy, like you belong to it and judging by Shuhua's tears, that's not how she felt in here, at least not right now. _

_ She missed her hometown, missed having more than two friends, being able to take the bus and travel without worrying about misreading the directions, she missed talking and being understood, not having people make fun of her accent; She missed home, her actual home; where her grandparents and aunts and uncles lived. She just wanted to go back and be left alone.  _

_ "Slow down…" Minnie tries to remember her mother's soothing voice, the one she would use to calm her or her brothers out when they would fall off their bike and hurt their knee. "Just take deep breaths and tell me what happened?" She squeezes Shuhua's shoulder who still refused to look at her, She knew there must be a reason for this to happen and wasn't something all of sudden, Shuhua wasn't the type to cry, Yuqi told her about the one time she broke her arm and didn't drop a single tear and that alone was enough for the chinese girl to never mess with the younger, So Minnie knows that whatever happened it was bad enough to affect her or at least was happening for far too long. _

_ She remembered when she was 10 and there were kids in her class picking on her, she never told her brothers about it but when they found out on their own they were very upset for not noticing and Minnie was sure that what she was feeling right now was probably how they felt back then.  _

_ "They keep making fun of how I talk" Shuhua's confession comes in a whisper, almost like she's embarrassed she's crying over a few 'jokes' instead of just playing along; She felt stupid for crying, expected Minnie to just tell her to ignore her classmates and their mean words, but as she felt her hand move to her shoulder as she squeezed it and brought Shuhua closer to her so she could hold her into a hug, the younger heard her words louder and clear. _

_ “Who was it?” She then asked, in a tone that soon enough Shuhua would learn, as their friendship grew stronger, that meant that she was upset but doing her best to not show it and so the taiwanesse told her, before Minnie hugged her and comforted her, caressing her hair until she stopped crying and eventually took her to her next class, making sure she was okay first. _

  
  
  


**_xxxx_ **

  
  
  
  


_ The boy who was picking on her apologized to her for making fun of how she talks the next day, and little naive Shuhua didn’t connect the dots at the time, and didn’t think much about his bruised eye and forced smile as he constantly checked for something, or someone, behind her; She was just surprised about his sudden change of heart and thought maybe her mother was right and people do realize their mistakes on their own; Minnie took her by her hand that afternoon and took her back to the football field so they could speak to each other in peace, or as much as peace as they could have with the cheerleaders practicing on the other side.  _

_ Shuhua's eyes then met Seo Soojin's eyes, as she stood near Soyeon as they both heard their coach speak, the older girl smiled politely and waved at Shuhua who waved back as she sat with Minnie on the bleachers, The older crossed her arms and sigh as Shuhua looked at her, curious. _

_ "Okay, I should give you an inspirational speech about how everything will be okay,"Minnie started, finally looking at the younger. "But I'm not a fan of lying so… the truth is, there will always exist people who will be shithea-... Rude to you for being a foreign, over your accent, your pronunciation, you name it. They don't like differences." _

_ Shuhua nods. "My Father told me about this, it's just-" _

_ "I know their words don't hurt less" The older added, shifting closer to Shuhua, arm around her shoulders. "But If you have a problem with someone like that again, you can just tell me and I'll 'talk' to them for you" Minnie had to admit, when Shuhua looked at her like she was the coolest unnie in the world, it felt good; Like she was a superhero or something like that. _

_ "Unnie you're so cool!" Shuhua then said and Minnie laughed as she ruffled her hair. "Don't tell Yuqi tho, she'll get jealous" _

_ They both laugh at that.  _

_ A week later Shuhua left the cooking club to join the basketball team, since then the foreign duo became closer and Shuhua always knew she could trust Minnie with all her problems and secrets. _

_ Until she couldn't anymore. _

  
  
  
  


**xxx**

  
  
  
  


**2018.**

If there was something Soojin could never understand is why some girls liked to watch their partner play sports, especially when they don't know anything about it. She knew very well that Miyeon didn't know a single thing about basketball, not even one thing and yet she was there watching Minnie every practice despite Shuhua whining and telling her to go away because she's a distraction, acting like she knew what the hell her girlfriend was doing; She was doing that since before they were dating, back when she convinced Soojin to go watch the cute basketball player with her after their math classes. 

In part of why Soojin accepted is because she liked the way Shuhua sighes as soon as she spots them before shaking her head, it was her little revenge for everytime the younger girl would show up by the cheerleaders' practice just to distract them with her charming smiles and winks; But now, they are friends and far more friendly with each other and even then Shuhua still sighes when she walks in, arms interlocked with Miyeon.

"Didn't I tell you to not show up in the practices?" Shuhua asked, staring at Miyeon who chuckles before reaching Shuhua's face and squeezing her cheeks like she was too cute to take seriously but Soojin saw the way she closed her eyes for a second before licking her lips and looked away with a frown, taking a deep breath.

Someone wasn't in a good mood that day; Thankfully, Minnie had shown up just in time to save them from the little time bomb that might explode if Miyeon tried to baby her a bit more.

Another thing she couldn't understand why they're so clingy; They're with each other all day and still didn't get tired of each other, Soojin thought that was impressive, she couldn't imagine herself being this clingy with a future boyfriend no matter how hard she tried, it just wasn't like her. 

"I won't be able to take you home today," Minnie said, holding Miyeon's hands. "Shuhua and I have to practice later than usual today" She added and Soojin looked at Shuhua who was looking more interested on the floor than whatever they were talking about, and for the first time the idea of extra work didn't seem to get her all energetic as usual.

Someone definitely wasn't in a good mood. 

"Soojin you can take her, right?" She then turned to Minnie and smiled.

"Yeah, Sure; I have the car with me today" She then turned to Miyeon who was still pouting over not being able to spend even more time with her girlfriend. "And we can go watch a movie with Yuqi and Soyeon"

"You mean third wheel to them?" Miyeon said and Minnie giggled while Soojin rolled her eyes.

"Well, we have been third wheeling for you and Minnie so you might taste your own medicine too" The cheerleader replied. "Also it's good for you two to stay away from each other a little, you'll suffocate us with your love" She watched as Shuhua nodded in silence behind her thai friend as her feet lazily kicked nothing. 

"Can we go already?" Soojin almost flinched at how moody Shuhua sounds, it didn't sound anything like what she was used to. 

"Right Right!" Minnie leaned forward and gave Miyeon a quick kiss, ignoring Soojins exaggerated "ew!" as she moved away, waving as she tried to catch up to Shuhua who was already walking away. "Until later! bye bye!"

There's a few seconds of silence as the Misoo duo stands next to each other.

"Shuhua looks like she wants to snap someone's neck" Soojin finally said as they walked away as well. "I guess she had a bad day"

"I hope she's just having a bad day instead of anything more serious" Miyeon said, causing Soojin to smile softly at her friend, at this point the whole school knows Miyeon always treated Shuhua as her little sister, despite the younger's protests and complaints about it; It was easy for people to think Miyeon was oblivious, clueless or too naive to notice things, too slow to catch up on the subtle things that happened around her, it wasn't true. She just chose to not address them, It's easier to turn a blind eye to a few things.

"I'll try talking to her tomorrow" Miyeon then said as they walked in the hallway. "I hope nobody is being mean to her"

"I doubt anyone can be mean to Shuhua," Soojin said, with a smile, mostly to calm down any of her friend's worries. "She's pretty… brave and tough" 

Miyeon smiled at her. "You think so?"

There was something about the way she asked that had Soojin measuring her own words for a second, but eventually she just nodded. 

"Yeah…It's what I think"

Her eyes squint as she smiles more. 

"That's good to know!"

Miyeon wasn't clueless, if anything the people around her seemed to be more clueless and lost about things, and themselves, than her, But she'll just turn a blind eye again and let them figure it out for themselves. 


	27. Chapter 27

"You know I get worried about you," Miyeon said, sitting by Shuhua's side who was avoiding looking at the older girl and instead focused on pretending she was reading her book. 

Miyeon had cornered her in the library, a genius move according to Shuhua, a quiet place where the younger couldn't scream in frustration and escape the older's affection without getting a lecture from every single nerd and bookworm in the room; So she had no other choice but to stay put and listen to whatever the other had to say, But she gets the feeling Miyeon was planning to nag her, She knew the older has good intentions, of all people Shuhua had ever met Miyeon was one of the few she was sure that didn't have a single malicious bone inside of her, she was made of rainbows and sunshine for all Shuhua knew; She believed that was why Minnie fell in love with her. 

_ 'She's such an angel'  _ were the Thai's exact words, her eyes focused on Miyeon like the older had put some kind of spell on her. Truly  _ gross _ , they are too lovey for the younger's taste; Like a couple forever stuck in the honeymoon phase.

"I'm fine, stop asking" Shuhua then replied, flipping the pages and hoping she would stop asking questions, she wasn't the type to open up that easily about her feelings no matter how much others insisted, she's the type to keep it all in for as long as she can. 

It's why she has a diary in the first place, to have a place to pour it all out.

"I just wanna know if everything is okay" She pats the younger's hair who sighs but doesn't stop her for once. "Is someone giving you a hard time again? I can lecture them if you want!"

Shuhua can't stop herself from chuckling. Now that's something she would like to see, softie Cho Miyeon trying to intimidate someone into leaving her alone. 

"Miyeon, nobody is giving me a hard time, and if there was I'm old enough to defend myself" Shuhua put the book down, knowing that Miyeon would not leave her alone until she was sure everything was okay. "I'm just stressed with school, that's all"

"You should rest more then" The older said, then she smiled, not the usual smile that made Shuhua look away from how sweet it was, it was a teasing kind of smile that had the younger arching an eyebrow. It was too mischevious for sweet Miyeon, like she was planning something. "With Soojin…"

"Soojin?" She asked, confused how this has anything to do with Soojin. "What does that mean?"

"It means she-"

They then hear a known voice, in a whisper. "Hey ladies" 

It's Minnie; She leans between their chairs and gives Miyeon a kiss, while Shuhua moves to the other chair to stay away from the couple. 

"No respect for the singles I see," Minnie laughs, before sitting down on the chair that Shuhua was previously sitting on, throwing herself on the table as she yawns."I thought you had class right now"

"I ran away to spend time with my favorite girl" She sent a flying kiss to Miyeon who smiles, cheeks turning pink. "And Speaking of my favorite girl…" She turns to Shuhua who was staring at her with her arms crossed as if expecting to hear something she didn't like. "How's Soojin?"

Shuhua frowned. "How is "favorite girl" and "Soojin" related?" 

"Just answer the question," Minnie said. "Everything good with the play?" 

"Yes, Actually" Shuhua replied, and both girls smiled at how excited she looked again. "We didn't know how to do the sound effects but Seonho told me he would help me with that, that was very nice of him"

Minnie chuckles. "Of course he did"

"What?" Shuhua frowned, once again they were being weird, this time it was Minnie instead of Miyeon.

"The guy has a crush on you" Minnie said. "Ever since you arrived here, how have you never noticed that?"

Miyeon laughs. "I don't think she pays that much attention to  _ boys _ "

Minnie laughs and agrees while Shuhua frowns as she tries to process this information. 

"He doesn't have a crush on me"

"Yes, he does. Last year, around Valentine days, he came up to me and Yuqi to ask our permission, as your unnies, to make a move on you" Minnie said, it was funny to have that tall ass kid asking them this kind of stuff; It would be cute, if Shuhua had any interest in that. "I don't need to tell you that Yuqi didn't liked that" Ever since Yuqi found out about the others kids giving Shuhua a hard time about her accent, she wasn't that receptive of their supposed feelings for the taiwanesse.

"That explains a lot of things" Like how the older girl refused to leave her alone that day. "Still, I never noticed that, to me he was just another classmate"

"A  _ lot _ of people have a crush on you," Miyeon said, leaning forward to lay on the table just like Minnie. "But I think you already know who"

' _ Does she know about…?' _

Shuhua concluded that no, Miyeon wasn't talking about who she thought she was, But she still felt like Miyeon was giving her a hint, trying to send a her a message that she couldn't quite get, at least not yet but she saw the expectation on her eyes like she was waiting for the younger to suddenly stand up and claim she understands what she means, But Shuhua is just a smart kid. She doesn't know how to read minds yet. 

"Do you wanna tell me something?" She finally asked while Miyeon played with Minnie's hair "I mean, I always suspected you have a crush on me but Minnie is right here-"

"Hey!" The older one protested while Minnie started to laugh despite the other student's dirty looks due the noise and Shuhua smiled before picking her book again. "She's trying to change the subject! Minnie do something!"

"Ah yes, Yeh Shuhua… That's very bad, don't do that" The Thai said with a monotone voice that had the taiwanesse trying her best to not burst into laugh while Miyeon could only sit there and pout at their teasing.

  
  


**.**

  
  


**.**

  
  


**.**

  
  


"Tell us everything, But skip any horny details" It's what Soojin says once she gets to talk to Miyeon after the cheerleaders' practice. "I don't need to see Minnie like that" The girl said, making a disgusted face; Miyeon and Minnie had celebrated their 8 months of dating the day before and besides doing what every couple their age would do, Soojin and Soyeon were curious about the other stuff like what kind of gift they gave each other or if the date's place was a on a theater or a diner.

"Some spicy isn't that bad" Soyeon comments with a laugh and Miyeon chuckles as well.

"Soyeon has a point" Soojin rolls her eyes at the eldest.

"Yes, sure it wasn't you who saw the scratches on Yuqi's back the other day!" She turned to Soyeon "Seriously were you trying to kill her?" That only made Soyeon laugh, Soojin's reactions at any evidence of what they were doing with their girlfriends was always entertaining. 

"I wanna hear all that talk when you have a boyfriend" Soyeon replied, with a smirk and Soojin rolled her eyes. "But do not tell us any sordid details about your sex lif-"

"Is that what you guys talk about when alone?" They heard someone, Shuhua, ask as she approached the trio; Miyeon noticed how Soojin's cheeks turned deep red, followed by the tip of her ears once she noticed the taiwanesse. "and here was I thinking only guys did that"

Miyeon was ready to defend herself. "Now, It's perfectly fine to talk about s-"

"I don't wanna hear you say the S word, please stop," Shuhua interrupted right away, before she turned to Soyeon. "Yuqi is looking for you, go take her home"

"You're staying later?" Soyeon asked and Shuhua nodded; Usually Shuhua was the one who would take Yuqi home, but since she can't then Soyeon it is; Thankfully she had a car. 

Then Shuhua turned at Miyeon. "I have nothing to say to you, you just tainted the image I had of you" She accused and the older scratched the back of her head in confusion. "As for you-" She looks at Soojin who was still as red as a tomato, looking at anywhere but Shuhua. "Let's go to the auditorium"

"Ok" Soojin said, too embarrassed to say anything else or protest despite not really feeling like working even more right now since she just got out of practice; The lack of a reaction definitely got Soyeon and Miyeon's attention, and as Shuhua basically dragged Soojin away with her, the younger looked at the older in confusion, But Miyeon just smiles and shrugs. 

**.**

  
  


**.**

  
  


**.**

  
  


"I do not talk about that kind of stuff!" Soojin said, defensive now that her initial embarrassment was replaced by the sudden need to explain herself to the Taiwanesse. "They started it!" She added, while Shuhua nodded, clearly not believing her.

"Sure, It's what everyone says" She replied, smiling as she provokes the older, angry Soojin was funny but embarrassed Soojin was even better; The two of them were in the backstage while Soojin was trying some of the costumes while Shuhua's job was to sit on the uncomfortable chair and judge which one looks better; all she could think was how that looks oddly familiar to how Miyeon is forced to go shopping with Minnie and just sit still while she picks some clothes. 

"You're an annoyance!" Soojin complained from the fitting room. 

"I'm your annoyance now," Shuhua talked back. "You already accepted this friendship" 

"What was I thinking?!" Shuhua laughs at how done the other sounds, She never thought there will be a moment where she would be having a friendly banter with Seo Soojin of all people, the girl who would throw her shoes at her unprovoked, well not that unprovoked. It felt weird, but the good kind, Shuhua was glad that her number of friends is going up; She snapped out of her thoughts when she heard Soojin complaining from the fitting room.

"Everything okay?"

"Yeah!" There's a pause "What's with the long dress!" She then said. 

"It's for that one part where she goes to this fancy party, remember?" Shuhua replied. "Ya know, the one where she ends up seeing one of her friends"

"OOH!, I remember that but still-" Shuhua laughs as she pictures Soojin's fight with the dress inside the fitting room. "Shuhua come here and helped me with this" The younger stood up and made her way to where Soojin was, pushing the curtain aside, finding the girl leaning against the wall with her arms crossed, frustrated. 

The girl smirks.

"This sounds like an excuse to seduce me" 

Soojin rolled her eyes. "Yes, It's what I plan everyday before I go to sleep, How I'm going to seduce you" She said before turning around, showing her exposed back."Pull up the zipper for me" 

Shuhua quickly moved Soojin's hair to the side, over her shoulder as placed one hand there while the other tried to pull the zipper; Soojin believed she was weird, definitely something wasn't right that day, she was okay with this friendship Shuhua and her had now, even if she didn't expected to become friends with her, ever; But right now, as Shuhua struggles to pull up the zipper of the probably too small dress, all Soojin could do is try not to blush or react at the hair the younger's fingers brush on the back of her neck, and how that made her feel things she wasn't used to; She blamed her shyness. 

"You're struggling too much" Soojin said, with a low voice while staring at the Taiwanesse through the mirror, watching as her face went from frustrated to cocky and she knew Shuhua was about to make a comment she wouldn't like. 

"I'm not used to dressing up girls, just undressing them- ouch!" She whines when Soojin hits her belly with her elbow. "Come on I was joking!"

"No, you're not" Soojin mumbled, already annoyed yet not knowing why. "Why do these things happen to me?" 

"Fate" Shuhua replied, smiling as she managed to pull the zipper almost the way up, her fingertips red from holding it so tight. 

"You believe in fate?" Soojin asked, arching an eyebrow, not really expecting that kind of thing from Shuhua of all people. 

"I do" The taiwanesse nods as she smiles."For example, Have I ever told you how I have met Miyeon Unnie?" She asked, now placing both hands on Soojin's shoulders, leaning closer to look at her face while the blonde shakes her head. 

"I don't think you did" Neither did Miyeon now that she thinks about it, she knew that they haven't been 'close' until the halloween party at Miyeon's place last year, but had no idea they had any type of conversation prior that. 

Shuhua laughs. "Well, You see…"


	28. Chapter 28

**2017**

_ She was late that one morning. _

_ Shuhua wasn't the type to wake up late but that morning her alarm just decided to have a 20 minutes delay for some odd reason; It never did that but it decided to that one specific morning; It was still Winter, the streets still covered in snow and ice is what kept the taiwanesse from sprinting her way to school, and as punishment for not waking up early on her own her father had refuse to give her a ride, something about being responsible along a lecture, as she prepared her backpack in a hurry, about how she should leave a good impression at school.  _

_ It was possible that she didn't hear half of what he was saying, but she'll worry about that later; Thankfully there was nothing too important in the first classes, but she still wanted to make sure to get in time, or at least 5 minutes later. No more than that; She made sure to send a congratulation text to Minnie as soon as she got into the school's parking lot, the coach was going to pick a new captain for the basketball team and rumours pointed to Minnie as the best pick and Shuhua had to agree there was nobody better than her. Who else would be a good captain? _

_ As she made her way inside the building, she was relieved to realize that she wasn’t the only one late, a few students also were quickly making their way inside as the snowflakes started to drop outside, a good thing about those winters days was definitely how they could easily use it as a excuse to arrive later than normal, as well as blame the sudden lazy mood on the cold weather, Shuhua wasn’t one of those students, but Yuqi and Minnie were; Those two were always up to arrive later or skip classes if given the chance. _

_ Shuhua quickly walked in the hallways, still texting on her phone and not paying attention to what, or in this case who, was right in front of her until she ended up bumping into someone who quickly held her arm to prevent her from stumbling back.  _

_ “Oh, I’m sorry!” She heard the other said and looked up to meet the worried gaze from the other girl. “Are you okay?” _

_ “Yes, I am,” Shuhua replied as the older girl released her arm. “I’m sorry for bumping into you” She quickly apologized as she bows. “I should watch where I’m going”  _

_ “It’s okay, don’t worry” _

_ Shuhua’s following words were cut by the sudden appearance of Minnie behind this girl, smiling brightly once she spotted her younger friend, not really paying attention to who she was talking to. _

_ “There you are! The teacher almost marked you as absent but I told him you got some ‘girl problems’ to deal with and you know how he gets all whiny about that kind of stuff-” She never saw Minnie shut up as quick as she did when she saw who was with Shuhua; The younger frowned as she notices the way the thai was suddenly nervous and she was questioning if she was blushing or not. "Miyeon-Unnie, hi!"  _

_ Did her voice just crack? Shuhua thought as she looked from one girl to another, confused by the sudden change of mood.  _

_ "Hey… I was helping.. huh" Miyeon frowns, realizing she in fact doesn't know the younger's name and before Shuhua could introduce herself, Minnie was already doing it for her.  _

_ "Ah, This is Shuhua! My friend" The thai smiled as she placed both of her hands on Shuhua's shoulders, who felt like a dog being used to get a beautiful girl's phone number at the park or something.  _

**xxx**

"That's it?" Soojin asked, looking at Shuhua from over her shoulder while the younger arched an eyebrow.

"What? You expected some super dark and sordid secret?" 

"No, but definitely something more exciting" Soojin admitted, Shuhua rolled her eyes.

"Whatever, let me continue"

"Ok, Ok"

**xxx**

  
  


_ For some reason, Shuhua didn't expect for Cho Miyeon to be such a popular student but then again she wasn't the type to pay attention to anyone besides Yuqi and Minnie; But it made sense so many people would like her, Miyeon was everyone's type; Beautiful and Kind. The perfect combo for everyone in the building and judging by the way Minnie couldn't look away everytime she walked by, it was easy for Shuhua to assume that Miyeon was her type too; She was a friendly girl, and the easy to approach type despite always being surrounded by people.  _

_ So when the girl showed up in front of her class to invite her to the halloween party that would happen in her house by the end of the month, Shuhua was surprised but still accepted her invitation, after making sure she could invite her friends, while the older pats her head before saying bye and walking away; It was probably the first, both not the last, invitation to a party she ever received.  _

**_xxx_ **

_ Miyeon's house was kind of big, But not as big as Minnie's house, but there was so many people in there in their halloween costumes -but also regular clothes- that made the place look smaller than it actually was and Shuhua realized how parties organized by popular people look like and she wasn't quite sure if she liked it or not, she would have to save her judgment to the end of this.  _

_ After a few minutes of looking for Minnie, and losing Yuqi from her sight in the process as well as somehow having a bottle of 'special soda' that Tae-Oppa basically forced in her hands, she found the girl standing by near the staircase while looking at something that Shuhua didn't really paid attention to; She drank more of her soda, ignoring how weird it tasted and made her way to the girl who barely got a glimpse of Shuhua coming over.  _

_ "She's such an angel" Minnie said dreamly and Shuhua followed her gaze and saw Miyeon in the living room talking excitedly with Seo Soojin. "I think I'll confess to her"  _

_ Shuhua then made her way to Miyeon, ignoring Minnie asking what she was doing as she made her way across the people until she was in front of the girl. _

_ "Miyeon-Unnie, There's someone who really wants to talk to you" She grabbed her hand before waiting for her answer, dragging the girl to where Minnie, who was already blushing, stood.  _

**xxx**

"And the rest you know, they are now the most annoying couple ever" Shuhua said, finally managing to close Soojin's dress, meanwhile the cheerleader frowned. "Fate!"

"Fate?" 

"Yeah!" Shuhua insisted. "Think about it, If my alarm didn't break that one morning I wouldn't have met Miyeon and so Minnie wouldn't be able to use me as an excuse to get closer" She explained as if it was a fact. "Who knows, maybe Miyeon would be dating a whole different person right now and we-" She points at herself and then at Soojin. "Wouldn't be here right now… Boom! Butterfly effect" 

"Right, Right" Soojin sighs in defeat before standing straight and spinning around in her long dress "Anyways, how do I look in this?"

"Really beautiful" Shuhua replied, casually and Soojin looked down, trying to ignore the heat on her cheeks. "Black suits you well, but red is your color" She added and Soojin knew she was blushing even more at how sincere her words sound and while Shuhua can see that the older girl was blushing at the compliment, she doesn't mention so she won't get too embarrassed. 

The following minutes were spent on trying on the other costumes and then practicing lines, this time Shuhua had a copy of the script so they could practice the scenes alongside each other, and Soojin had to admit that Shuhua was indeed a good actress; The idea that she would just follow in her father's footsteps instead once school was over sounded like a waste of talent to her but she wasn't one to judge as she was planning the exact same thing. 

" _ Why should I forgive you? _ " Shuhua reads the script, eyes focused on the paper while Soojin glances at her serious and focused face with a smile before focusing on her own lines again. 

" _ Because I love you… I love you… like never before, and I’m willing to do what it takes to earn your forgiveness _ " Soojin reads her part and Shuhua looks up to the older and smiles gently, she made a lot of progress and the inicial embarrassment that Soojin felt every time she had to read any of the romantic lines wasn't there anymore.

" _ I loved you for a long time, longer than I can remember and- _ " Shuhua stopped herself to cough and that quickly got Soojin's attention, it wasn't a light cough at all. " _ And I-''  _ She sneezed and Soojin placed her script in the nearby chair before approaching the younger.

"Are you okay?"

"I think this place is too dusty" Shuhua mumbled, scratching her nose while Soojin gently touched her shoulder. "But anyways, let's keep practicing-"

"No, It's enough for today; It looks like if you sneeze or cough any harder your lungs will end up on the floor" Soojin said, taking Shuhua's hand and dragging her to take a sit. "And this is not the dust's fault, You probably have a cold"

Shuhua rolled her eyes. "No, I don't" 

"I bet you're not covering yourself properly" Soojin flicked her forehead. "After I told you to take better care of yourself"

"That was before we were friends, I didn't have to listen to you back then" Shuhua argued and Soojin squeezed her cheek. "Ouch! Fine, Fine. I'll stay put!" 

"Good" Soojin sat next to her. "Knowing your tendency to lie, have you been feeling like that for how long?" Shuhua rolled her eyes and crossed her arms at the not so subtle accusation that she was a liar, only to sigh and decide to be honest for once.

"It was just a headache-"

"No wonder you were so grumpy!" Soojin said. "I didn't bring an extra lunchbox today but if you want you can have mine" It only made sense, if the girl was getting sick it was for the best that she ate properly and knowing Shuhua she knew that the healthiest thing she ate today was most likely the corn dog she stole from Yuqi that morning. “I’ll go get it,” She said before going to get her bag while Shuhua watches from her chair.

“There’s no need for that, Jin Jin”

Soojin spined around to stare at the taiwanesse with a confused look in her face as she points at herself and Shuhua almost laughs because right now she looked way too innocent. 

"Jin Jin? That 's me?" She asked, coming back with the lunch box in one hand while the other was still pointing at herself and Shuhua giggles before nodding.

"Yeah, Who else?" 

"We're giving nicknames to each other now?" The older one asked as she sat on the ground and Shuhua sat next to her right away, watching as Soojin opened the lunchbox like a hungry little kid which had Soojin smile sweetly once she noticed it. "Should I give you a nickname too?"

"If you want…"Shuhua shrugs. "Yuqi doesn't really call me any nicknames unless 'dumbass' counts as one" Soojin laughs and watches as Shuhua smiles brightly. "Minnie used to call me 'Little Shushu' but she stopped because according to her I'm not little anymore" They both laugh before Shuhua opens her mouth and lets Soojin feed her. "Soojin, Your food is really good!"

"Chew before you talk!" Soojin reprimanded but then smiles right after. "I learned from my mother when I was younger." With her parents spending so much time at work everyday, It was necessary for Soojin to be able to cook for herself since early age and she took a liking for it, she found it very relaxing and having someone else praising it made her happy too. "Your mom never taught you?" She asked while she watched Shuhua take a gulp of her soda. 

The taiwanesse shook her head casually as she put her drink down."Not really"

That doesn't mean that her mother didn't try to teach her, but Shuhua would usually zone out as soon as the cooking talk became a 'when you find a husband-' type of talk that had Shuhua smashing potatoes with the fury of thousands suns as she ignores all the advices from the older woman. 

"You can't cook… But you were in the cooking club?" Soojin pointed out and Shuhua nodded. 

"I'm good at baking, I even baked a cheesecake to Minnie once" and by baking a cheesecake to Minnie, the girl actually means that she used Minnie as a lab rat so she could test if the recipe was good enough so she could bake another one for Yuqi's birthday the week after; Minnie didn't complain as she got to eat it twice. "The girls from the cooking club loved teaching me" She laughs, remembering their mesmerized gaze, taking it in all the cuteness. 

Soojin rolled her eyes. "I bet they did" She said, feeling oddly irritated all of sudden. "Anyways, open up" She said, before feeding the younger again. 

Shuhua was still coughing, a few minutes later after she was done eating and letting Soojin practice on her own, but she also promised Soojin she would take some medicine once she got home; Those promises were made under the fear of the cheerleader's threats about changing her shampoo with hair dye if she didn't follow her advice, not to say her order, and of course, Yeh Shuhua would never risk her precious hair no matter what. 

"I get it, I'll take some medicine and-" She raised her hands and moved her fingers up and down. "Take it easy" She said before coughing again, hiding her face against her arm just in time, she didn't want to cough next Soojin and risk her getting sick too; Meanwhile the older stroked her hair right away as Shuhua kept on sneezing against her own sleeve.

"Ah, this is so annoying!" Shuhua whines before scratching her nose and Soojin laughs.

"Don't be such a baby, Everyone gets sick" She poked the younger's cheek. "And in your case, you got sick from being too careless; Didn't you bring your coat with you today?"

"I gave it to Soyeon cause she forgot hers at home and I didn't want her to be cold" Shuhua explained casually and Soojin smiles at that. "She looks extra tiny with it tho" She added and Soojin burst into laughs, leaning against the younger's shoulder who laughs as well. "Don't tell her or Yuqi I said that tho" Shuhua asked.

"Yeah, your secret is safe with me…" Soojin looked at her for a second before adding. "...Shushu"

Shuhua gasps. “Unnie! You’re coming for my heart!” She teased, trying to hug the older who leans aways while laughing and pushing the younger away; It was weird how much they have progressed, when Shuhua offered a friendship between them the cheerleader didn’t think it would be this easy. They still bickered, and argued but it wasn’t as serious as before and Soojin wasn’t throwing any shoes in Shuhua’s direction anymore so that would count as a progress in their friendship and as Shuhua’s head fell on her lap, as she laughs so hard, Soojin couldn’t help herself but smile too as she hears Shuhua talk about something that she didn’t quite paid attention cause her eyes were too focused on her unusual big smile, despite being sick.

And as Soojin moved Shuhua’s hair away from her face, while the younger talked about some funny memory she had about Yuqi and Minnie from two years ago, it’s when it finally hit her, she felt her body become stiff at the realization and suddenly what she has been feeling, and at the same time trying to ignore, made sense.

She has a crush on Shuhua. 

The same Shuhua who was in love with someone else, and as she stared at the younger’s eyes she couldn’t help but curse internally at the irony of it all; Thinking back at her words, a month ago, in this same auditorium:

_ ‘Not everyone gets what they want. That’s realistic and that’s how life works.’ _

Soojin hated that she was right.


	29. Chapter 29

Soojin had crushes before, several actually but never really confessed to any of them which is the result of being shy and quiet; Most of her crushes didn't even know she existed and that was okay because she could get away with watching them from afar until her feelings went away. But that was the first time she had a crush on someone she was close to, and it was Shuhua of all people, maybe she was just like anybody else and was too enchanted by her out of this world beauty, maybe it was how her eyes seem to carry the universe inside of it and how much passion there was in them. 

Or maybe it was how Soojin's shyness was gone whenever she was around and how despite their constant bickering, even after Shuhua had offered a friendship, they still managed to work great together, like a good fit for each other. 

"We took this one when Father took us camping at the start of the year" Shuhua said, pointing at the picture on her phone while Soojin, with her cheeks red as a tomato, rests her head on the younger's shoulder; The photo in question was Minnie, Shuhua and Yuqi posing, Minnie had her arm around Shuhua's shoulder as they both glanced, with a bit of disgust, at the second eldest of the trio who held a fish up with her fingers and had this proud look on her face that had Soojin giggling as she tries to imagine the moment happening.

She remembers that weekend as the weekend Miyeon wouldn't stop whining over missing her girlfriend, after a few weeks together, it was the first time they were far apart and so Soojin and Soyeon had to endure her complaining about it all day, well not complaining but wishing that she could go too but Shuhua was clear with the invitation: ' _ No Miyeons allowed _ '

"She looks really proud," Soojin said, pointing at Yuqi.

"Yuqi was on her survival show phase," Shuhua said. "She would watch those survival shows and act like she was ready to survive in the woods with only a pencil and enough courage" She swiped the picture and the next one was a picture of Shuhua holding several branches while looking very upset at the camera, Soojin decided not to mention the girl looked extra adorable with the oversized jacket she was wearing, only her fingertips poking out, but then she frowned once she noticed the bunny logo on it.

"ain't that Miyeon's coat?" She asked, she saw the elder wearing it so many times it was basically stuck in her head; She watched how Shuhua's smile turned into a frown, as if she was offended by the question.

"No, It's Minnie's coat. She gave it to me because Yuqi dropped coal on mine and ended up burning it" She mumbled; Now it made sense why she saw Miyeon wearing it so much, it was likely Minnie gave it to her. "We were in charge of creating a campfire" Shuhua swiped through more pictures. "Yuqi almost burned her arm off that weekend" 

"That would be bad-"

"Yeah, I'm sure Soyeon would miss her fingers-" Soojin slapped her shoulder. "Ouch!"

"Behave."

"Yes ma'am!" Soojin giggled while Shuhua swiped through more pictures, one of them was Yuqi inside her sleeping bag, sleeping like a rock while one of her arms was still out and her hand had a firm grip on Shuhua's arm, who was sleeping next to her. "Did I ever tell you Yuqi sleeps like an otter?" 

"Really?" Soojin asked, suddenly the reason why Shuhua cannot see Yuqi as anything other than cute, even if the chinese girl tries to appear tough and strong, made sense. 

"It started in middle school, when we had sleepovers," She explained. "She would get homesick sometimes so we would hold hands until she fell asleep" 

"That's cute-"

"Shh, Don't let Yuqi hear you say that '' Shuhua laughs along Soojin before she points to the picture again. "Minnie took this picture before she drew all over our faces with her hands dirty with coal, I had to wash my face three times!" Hearing about those stories somehow was really interesting and Soojin smiled as she glances at Shuhua as she talks with a big smile on her lips about those moments she shared with her friends, She hates realizing this stupid crush now because somehow it made every little detail about the younger girl stand out so much to her eyes.

Like how Shuhua blinked a lot when she spoke or how she would look up when trying to remember which korean word to use in the sentence, she was so focused on talking that she didn't even seemed to mind Soojin's head on her shoulder or how the older has been caressing her right arm, for enough time to notice the mole on her hand; Soojin didn't expect her to notice, she was used to crushing from afar, without having the spotlight on herself and she also knew that Shuhua's eyes were focused on someone else, and even if Soojin didn't know who it was…

She still wished that she was that girl. 

  
  


**.**

  
  


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_ Stupid Crush! _

She felt like this was karma, like she was somehow paying for her bad actions from some past life, and for every time she said she would never like anybody who was like Shuhua, and this was the best way to make her pay; She couldn't think of any other explanation to her situation right now. Soojin knows that being aware of her feelings for the basketball player meant that everything she does either looks ten thousand times cuter, and attractive, than it actually was and sadly for her weak heart, staring so much made her notice Shuhua's habit to constantly lick her lips, or how she would attractively run her fingers through her hair as she pushed it back.

But that's  _ fine _ , She can live with that unresolved sexual tension as all she needs to do is not stare so much; However being aware of her feelings for Shuhua also meant another thing she didn't consider before; She was also aware of her as a whole, like suddenly someone light up a spotlight on top of the taiwanesse and now if she walks into the room, Soojin's eyes immediately fall on her, But of course that also meant that Soojin was also aware of  _ every _ single girl in the building that interacted with Shuhua and much to her displeasure her stupid heart decided to beat faster for the girl who flirts as easily as she breathes and somehow has all the girls around her enchanted.

It was annoying, not to say it made Soojin absolutely livid, how every single girl decided they wanted a piece of Shuhua as soon as Soojin realized how she felt. 

Life really was some sick game and Soojin was the single player currently struggling on the love level. 

"You should come over to my place today" Soojin said to Shuhua who was texting someone, probably one of the girls currently on Soojin's black list. "My parents have a day off" 

It's been a few weeks since her brain decided to light things up and point out how she feels about the younger girl and since then Soojin was doing a great job at hiding it, Shuhua didn't seem to notice it at all but the girl blamed that on how she probably had her heart closed to any girl that wasn't the one she wanted so she had a feeling that even if she tried she still wouldn't get the girl's attention, at least not in the way she wanted.

"You want me to meet your parents?" Shuhua asked as she put her phone down, then smirked at Soojin. "I didn't think our relationship was moving so fast," She said, teasing as always but Soojin laughed, rolling her eyes.

"They like meeting my new friends" And making sure she was around good people and not some troublemakers that would somehow push her into a bad path. "But if you don't want-"

"Of course I want to" Soojin felt her cheeks burning at how eager the younger sounds to meet her parents, she almost forgot to remind herself that Shuhua's meeting her parents as her friend, nothing else. "I would never miss the opportunity to see your hot sister" She added and Soojin's eye twitches while Shuhua goes back to her phone again as soon as she hears the noise from a new text notification. 

In the past few weeks of hiding her feelings from Shuhua and the rest of their friends too, Soojin realized that she was a jealous person, and also came to the conclusion that jealousy made her an impulsive person because it didn't take more than three seconds for Shuhua's words to make her react. 

Physically.

"Ouch!" Shuhua complained when the older girl hit her shoulder. "Ouch! Ouch!" She said once Soojin hit her again. "What 's wrong?! I thought we were friends!" She said, trying to escape the other's sudden fury.

"You just ruined the mood!" 

"Sorry your sister is hot?" Shuhua tried, only for Soojin to hit her harder, this time with the magazine she was previously reading . "Stop attacking me, I'm sick!" She forced a cough right away to try and escape from Soojin; They were sitting by the stone, round tables outside the school building and the students passing by didn't even bat an eye to Soojin coming for Shuhua's blood as it became an everyday thing. Some students made bets over what they would fight and when said fight would take place, it was like a main event everyone liked to attend, what kept everyone from having a bad day.

"I don't want you to come anymore"

"Come on, I was joking-" 

The duo are then joined by the Mimin and Yuyeon couple, as they sit next to them not really minding their usual fighting, whoever Yuqi watched curiously at how they were fighting that day, which was different from their usual arguments; Soojin trying to beat the hell out of the younger wasn't something new and honestly the Chinese girl believed that Shuhua actually found it pretty funny otherwise she would've hit back by now, which she never did, there wasn't a single moment that Shuhua had ever lifted a finger against Soojin; But this time it was different in Yuqi's eyes because instead of the usual hitting followed by more teasing from the Taiwanesse, She was met with Shuhua trying to explain herself to the angry cheerleader and that felt oddly… couple like, like watching Miyeon and Minnie argue. 

_ Weird. _ She thought as she placed her food tray on the table, looking at the two of them arguing about something related to Soojin's sister.

  
  


**.**

  
  


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" _ It's not a date _ "

" _Sounds like a date_ _to me_ "

" _ To me as well _ "

" _ That's your problem then _ "

Shuhua, Yuqi and Minnie stood in the parking lot talking to each other in mandarin, to keep others from listening to their conversation while the two youngest tried to keep their words simple for the older to catch up, The taiwanesse had briefly mentioned going to Soojin's place later that day and somehow that drove both of her friends crazy, especially Minnie while Yuqi was focused on listening to her arguments of how that wasn't a date. 

" _ Her parents will be there! _ " Shuhua argued, crossing her arms, pointing out the obvious reason why it wasn't a date. " _ Who would have a date with their parents around? _ " 

Yuqi shrugs. " _ Well- _ "

" _ Besides your grandparents, Yuqi, _ " Shuhua said. " _ Plus it's Soojin, come on _ " 

" _ Exactly! _ " Minnie joined in. " _ The same Soojin who has been cooking for you and taking care after you, I told you she was falling for your charms. _ "Minnie smiles. " _ Soon enough we'll be three couples! _ " 

" _ Wait, hold on, you're planning way too far ahead,"  _ Shuhua complained. _ "How did it go from Soojin liking me to couples?! _ " She asked. " _ You're under the assumption that I would like her back, which I don't _ " 

Yuqi rolled her eyes. " _ Yeah, Shuhua only has her eyes on one girl _ "

" _ Don't start! _ " Shuhua warned, starting to get really annoyed. " _ Also, I have no plans to date anyone. I'm fine being the way I am right now _ " She added, ignoring the way Yuqi was looking at her, as if her eyes were saying that she was just waiting for her special someone to get single. 

"Well you should," Minnie said, switching back to korean. "You look lonely these days" She makes a pause. "Are you still into that girl?"

Yuqi interrupts. "She never got over her, always looking at her with the most stupid puppy eyes" 

Shuhua turned around to Yuqi, ready to start an argument but Minnie was quick to spin the girl around so she could look at Shuhua again. 

"Is there a possibility for this girl to like you back?" She asked and Shuhua looked away, knowing the answer but not wanting to admit it to herself. "I mean, I'm not saying you have to move on with Soojin, I'm sure there's a lot of girls who would love to date you" She pat her cheeks softly. "You're a good kid." 

It only took a second before Shuhua remembered she had a tough girl image to maintain so she moved Minnie's hands away from her face as she loudly complains about how she's not a kid anymore, much to the older amusement as she continues to talk to her with a baby voice and Shuhua uses Yuqi as a shield, forgetting how they were about to fight seconds earlier, accusing Minnie of being around Miyeon too much. 

  
  


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Being raised in a strict household meant following several rules no matter if you agree with them or not, Shuhua was used to living under the idea of whatever her father said being the law of the household and her mother didn't seemed to mind either as she was also just as strict when she wanted to; So knowing that it wasn't surprising how they gave her a full lecture about good behavior once the girl has told them she was going out to meet a friend's parents that night, Her mother made her get ready about 30 minutes early so she would get there in time while her father told her to remember to keep her accent to herself so she would make a good first impression. 

So when Mr. Yeh stopped the car in front of the Seo Household, Shuhua had to endure the man fixing her jacket and her hair to make sure she looked as perfect as possible before he allowed her leave the car, around 5 minutes before 19:00, the time she was supposed to show up but there was no harm on being a little early. Her parents told her it shows good manners and so she walked out of the car but not before calling her again.

"Yes?"

"Remember what I said about the accent" He warned, nervously, like he was back on her first day at school worried about other people's reaction; Shuhua nods and smiles softly as if to ease his worries; She was aware he wanted her to behave as korean as possible.

"I know" She said before walking towards the front door, checking her watch quickly. 2 minutes till 19:00; She looks back as her father drives away and then stands by the door, knocking and then listening to the voices talking inside and judging by the one voice whining like a brat, it was her Soojin for sure and that had Shuhua chuckling before the door opens, revealing the blonde who had a small smile on her lips. 

"Hey!" Soojin checks her own watch. "Woah, You're just in time" She added, surprised as she moved to the side, gesturing for Shuhua to come in, which the younger quickly did as she removed her shoes at the entrance and got caught off guard when Soojin started to take off her jacket.

"I'm glad you're covered up properly before coming" The older said. "It's cold outside, how is your throat?" She asked, holding the younger's coat against her chest with one hand while the other was on Shuhua's shoulder, looking at her with this worried look in her face and the taiwanesse tries not to think of Minnie's words from before, knowing that Soojin is just a caring and kind person in general and that she's just showing that side of her more because they've become friends. No romantic feelings involved, that was just the voices in Minnie's head speaking.

Shuhua thinks this is somehow Miyeon's fault.

"I'm fine, Don't worry" The younger one said softly and Soojin smiled which had Shuhua smiling back; Then the older placed her coat on the hanger before holding Shuhua's hand and guiding her to the dinner room, where she saw Soojin's parents and her older sister.

Shuhua takes a deep breath and smiles, hoping to make a good impression. 


	30. Chapter 30

The Seo household had such a warm and inviting energy, a cozy place that was capable of bringing comfort to anyone who walked in and Shuhua figured maybe that was why Soojin was such a kind, warm hearted person; Unlike Shuhua, who grew up being told she was the spitting image of her dad with just enough traits from her mother to not look weird, Soojin looked a lot like her mother from the round and innocent looking eyes to the way she smiled, her older sister was the same too and for a moment the taiwanesse felt like she was in a room full of Soojins and despite their kind smiles Shuhua still felt like a boyfriend being interrogated by her partner's family; Soojin quietly playing with her food, looking oddly bashful didn't help either.

Shuhua was still waiting for the  _ 'what are your intentions with our daughter? _ ' question to come up at any moment now. 

"So you're part of the basketball team?" Shuhua nods at Mrs. Seo's question, she was the most talkative one of the family and kept the conversation going with some additions here and there from Soojin's sister, meanwhile Mr. Seo was just like Soojin, quiet and observant, just paying attention to the conversation around him and she got the feeling Soojin did the same, especially now as she kept on glancing from her mother to Shuhua as if worried they might not like her. 

"She's the captain of the school's team," Soojin added casually. "We have a lot of trophies thanks to her" 

"That's wonderful to hear" Suddenly Shuhua felt shy, not expecting Soojin to bring that up, Shuhua was used to brag about her achievements herself, usually to her parents, she never really had someone else do it so she could feel her cheeks burning for a second before Soojin's sister decided to join in.

"Honestly, I'm surprised you're actually here" She heard Soojin's sister say as she finished chewing her food, earning a confused look from Shuhua. "I didn't think Soojin actually had any friends besides Soyeon''

Soojin takes offense to that. 

"I have tons of friends!" She said, it wasn't the whole truth but she wasn't lying either, her friend count just went from 4 to 5 recently and this specific 5 wasn't exactly a platonic one but she would rather not think about that at the moment. 

"You never bring them over!" 

"Soojin is just shy" Mrs. Seo is quick to defend her younger child and Shuhua smiles. "She was always like this, you know" She said, this time looking at Shuhua who nods, listening. "It took a lot to make her sleep in her own bed when she was small"

"Mom!" Soojin was quick to protest, not liking where this conversation is going, The woman was already bringing up her childhood stories, soon enough she would have the family pictures on her hands, she knew that because she did the same with her sister and while it was fun to watch someone else endure this type of embarrassment, it wasn't something she was looking forward to, but of course, Shuhua was always up to having her flustered.

“Really?” The taiwanesse asked with sudden interest, ignoring Soojin’s grip on her shoulder. “I would love to hear more about this” It wouldn't be Shuhua if she didn't to embarrass the cheerleader at least once, all while keeping her good girl role going on. 

“No you don’t!” Soojin said, now holding Shuhua's arm as well as she watched her mother stand up with a smile on her face, Shuhua couldn't help but notice that the way her eyes squint as she smiles is just the same as Soojin.

"I'll bring the family album-"

"No!" 

**xxx**

The night was entertaining for Yeh Shuhua. 

The Seo family was definitely on the quiet, intimidating side of the social spectrum, But there was enough sass in there to create enough chaos to have fun with, They could be loud and joke a lot when they can, even Mr. Seo would join in once in a while with a small, timid smile on his lips, as the night went Shuhua could totally see more of Soojin on his as well; As for Soojin, she saw her laugh a lot that night, more than when they're on school together and she could tell she got along with her family pretty well, despite the fact that the taiwanesse knows their opinion and validation was really important for her. 

Now they're sitting together, alone by the stairs of the backyard's porch while Soojin is covering her eyes in embarrassment as the younger laughs quietly. Soojin's sister left early that night because she had a date with her boyfriend, and Mr. and Mrs. Seo went up early after dinner and talked to Shuhua for a few hours so it was just the two left, waiting for Shuhua's father to pick her up.

"I can't believe this-"

"It wasn't that bad," Shuhua said, trying to comfort the older girl who groaned.

"You saw my baby pictures!" 

"You were an adorable baby, be more confident about your baby self" Shuhua said. "The one picture with the red lipstick? Trendsetter! I'm sure all the other toddlers were jealous" 

Soojin smacked her shoulder and Shuhua laughed, holding the other's wrist to keep more slaps from coming her way.

"I wanna see you laugh when I see your baby pictures" Soojin said, moving closer to the other who only smiled.

"I was a beautiful baby so I have no worries about that," Shuhua replied, confidently. "My teachers always thought I was the most adorable thing, You can see the girls always found me charming- AH!" she yelped when Soojin pinched her hand. 

"You're an idiot!" Soojin said, playfully before rubbing her own arms as they are hit with a cold wind, Shuhua wrapped her arm around the older's shoulders and pulled her closer in a protective manner that had Soojin blushing right away.

"Are you cold?" She asked, worried; Soojin could talk about the younger's looks and way with words all day, but it was how protective and caring Shuhua was that for sure played a big part on why she developed those feelings for her. "Do you wanna go inside?"

Soojin shakes her head and then smiles. "I should be the one asking you, I'm the unnie and you're sick"

"I can be your unnie for tonight if you want" Shuhua said with a smirk and Soojin looked away to keep her mind from going to places where it shouldn't. "Also your dad gave me advice to get rid of the cold as quickly as possible" She said and Soojin smiles, glad that they got along. 

"He did? He must really like you then. He's even more shy than me" Soojin said and Shuhua pushed her hair back with that smug look on her face as if not surprised at all and that had Soojin laughing if not a bit flustered "Mom always said she had to do all the work until he got the hint she was into him" They both laugh.

“My mother said she would always find excuses to talk to my dad back in highschool, he was like the most popular boy or something and she was one of the girls all over him” Shuhua said. “My Father was charming, just like me”

“You’re so full of yourself,” Soojin said.

“I’m confident!”

Somehow their talk went better than when they’re school, maybe it was something in the weather. Shuhua thought. Soojin seemed to be more open to talk that night and Shuhua actually listened to what she had to say while also sharing here and there, both forgetting about anything that wasn’t each other.

“I want to be a dancer once I’m done with school but…” Soojin’s hands squeezed Shuhua’s arm. “I worry I might not be good enough and-”

“You’re a good dancer” Shuhua interrupted. “And if you worry about not being skilled enough you can just work harder to improve” She added casually, it sounded very simple in her head but she also knew that for Soojin, who was scared of not meeting others’s expectations, it was still a huge issue. “I think you would be an amazing professional dancer”

“Then you should become an actress too” Soojin said. “ You’re really talented” She watched as Shuhua pretended to think deeply about the suggestion before she shrugs casually.

“Ok”

“Really?”

“Yeah”

Soojin doesn’t buy it. “How am I supposed to know you’re not lying?”

Shuhua gasped. “Seo Soojin, You hurt my feelings with those accusations” Then she looks up as if to think of a way to make the older believe her. “Let’s make a deal, you become a dancer and I’ll become an actress and the one who breaks the deal will…. hmm” She tries to think of a punishment. 

“I can see the smoke coming out of your head, don’t think too much”

“Shh!” Shuhua reprimanded before finally having an idea. “The one who breaks the deal gets a tattoo”

“A tattoo?” Soojin asked, surprised. “My dad would kill me!” She laughed.

"Mine too so we both have a lot to lose" Shuhua said with a smile and Soojin shakes her head in disbelief. "But I'm serious, you really should pursue dance if that's what you love"

Soojin looks back at her. "Same goes for you"

Then there’s silence. Somehow it wasn’t uncomfortable at all, Soojin also didn’t move away from Shuhua’s hold, who also didn’t try to remove her arm either, keeping the older closer until she felt Soojin rest her head on her shoulder.

“We should probably move inside,” Soojin said, more like a whisper, as buries her face on Shuhua’s shoulder, enjoying her warmth and praying that she wouldn’t notice the way her cheeks turned bright pink.

“Mhm” Shuhua hummed, but didn’t move away either, her hand caressing Soojin’s shoulder up and down as both stayed where they were, not paying attention to anything besides the wind howling and each other's breathing. 

**.**

  
  


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"You have a cold?" Soyeon asked Soojin, who looked like a truck ran over her, as they were sitting by the tables in the cafeteria. Soojin was wearing so many layers of jackets, thanks to her dad, that her arms could barely touch her body. "How did that happen?" 

Soojin glanced at Shuhua who was sitting across the table reading a magazine with this fake innocent look in her face like she wasn't the one who kept Soojin outside in the cold in the previous night, Unknown to the cheerleader the other two foreigners of the group also looked to Shuhua and then back to Soojin.

"I stayed outside for too long" It's all she said before grabbing a tissue to clean her nose. "I'll be stopping by to check our practice later tho"

"You shouldn't even be at school today" Miyeon said, with that worried mom look she had as her hands stroke Soojin's hair, making the younger smile before she looked forward and catching Shuhua staring at them, her playful gaze was now serious again as she watched them until she noticed Soojin looking and so her gaze dropped to the magazine once again. "Are you sure you're okay?" Miyeon asked, snapping Soojin out of her thoughts. The younger nods not wanting her to worry too much.

As the day went by Soojin realized being sick wasn't that bad, not that she enjoyed having to clean her nose every 10 seconds or how her throat would hurt from coughing so much, she really hated it but the pros of being sick means that people around her were much more caring, her teachers didn't even mind her late homework and as much as her group of friends were chaotic and loud most of the time, they have been behaving the best just to take care of her; Yuqi even carried her bag that day, which earned a complaint from Soyeon about how her girlfriend never does it for her which caused them all to laugh as they watched Yuqi trying to explain herself.

Miyeon and Minnie were like two worried parents who wouldn't leave her alone and always ask if she was okay, Soyeon had to stop Minnie from adding another layer, her own jacket, on Soojin. 

But of course, The attention she liked the most was from a certain Taiwanesse, Shuhua wasn't the type to flaunt her care or affection for others, if anything she ran away from public display of affections like it could physically hurt her, especially if you're Miyeon and tries to randomly give her kisses which causes her to ran away like a cat avoiding water, But at the end of the day she was still a caring friend. 

Friend. Platonic. No other feelings involved, at all; Soojin's expectations are lower than you can imagine when it comes to whatever the other did, It's how she was able to protect herself from what she knew was going to be a heartbreak sooner or later and she knows that somewhere in the future, once this crush is over, she's going to look back and laugh at this just like she does when she thinks about her past crushes and maybe Shuhua can even join in on her 'laughing at past Soojin' session.

"Just sit there and try not to do much" Shuhua said as she basically stole Soojin's bag away from her and placed it on the front row seats of the auditorium. "I still think you should just go home, there's nothing much left to do"

"I'm not that sick, I can still practice" That was a lie, she just wanted an excuse to spend more time with the younger, but of course Shuhua's workaholic self believed that excuse right away, just as she expected but that didn't mean she worried less. 

"Just don't read out loud so you won't hurt your throat" She said and seeing such a caring look on her made Soojin flustered and she quickly nodded before focusing on her script while Shuhua moved some stuff around the auditorium, complete unaware of how Soojin wasn’t reading anything at all and just glancing at her from time to time.

If Shuhua thought she was seeing a different side of Soojin lately, then the cheerleader thought the same, the more she sees of the younger's protective side the more her heart beats faster which is probably a bad sign and her head say she should get some distance from Shuhua to keep those feelings from becoming stronger but she didn't wanted to move away, not when she was starting to meet the Shuhua that wasn't the cocky basketball player, but the girl who cares a lot and works more than she should.

Soojin knows this wasn't just a regular crush and that she was starting to fall in love for the other, for her kind gestures, her jokes and even her overwhelming confidence and she still can't bring herself to stop, It's like she's inside a car with no brakes. 

She was going to crash no matter what.


	31. Chapter 31

"...Then I end up afraid of water" Shuhua finished one of her childhood stories as they walked around the mall with their arms interlocked. "My mother was really protective too and kept me away from any rivers or pools and I guess it just made it worse" She finally added. "Now is your turn" 

Soojin likes to think that it’s a normal thing between friends to hang out so much like they do now, the following days after the older had recovered from her sore throat and running nose, the younger had invited her to go out, according to Shuhua it was only right to take her out after she got her sick, even if only for a few days; Now they are walking around with their arms interlocked as they shared their childhood stories as a way to get to know each other better.

Soojin frowned, trying to think of something to share with Shuhua. "Oh I got one, you remember how Yuqi and Soyeon have met?"

Shuhua nods. "I was there, Jinjin" 

The older tries not to blush at the nickname. "Well, You know how Yuqi spilled soda on Soyeon and got a stain on her shirt?" Shuhua hummed in response, eyes noticing how open the plaid shirt Soojin was wearing underneath her jacket was so her hands were quickly moving to pull up the zipper of Soojin's coat all the way up. 

"What about it?" Shuhua finally asked once she’s satisfied with how covered up the older is.

"The truth is, there was never a soda stain, Actually Me and Soyeon put a stain on it the next morning just so she could have a excuse to talk to Yuqi"

Shuhua laughs. "You two…! Yuqi stole from her piggy bank just to buy Soyeon a new shirt you know?" She said, thinking back of how she had to hold the piggy bank upside down while Yuqi tried to use a knife to pull the coins out despite Shuhua saying how much of a dumb idea that was, it took them the whole afternoon until they were done.

“Now it’s your turn” Soojin said and Shuhua scratched her chin as she tried to think of something she could share.

"Hmmm… Oh, when we were kids Yuqi and I tried to run away from home once" She said which made Soojin gasp. "I think I was 8"

"8!?" Soojin repeated, even more shocked. The idea of a 8 year old and a 9 year old alone in the streets after running away from home set off all of her protective instincts despite being something that already happened 10 years ago. "Why?"

"Well… The Song have been arguing a lot back then and Yuqi didn't want to be around them every time they were fighting so we decided to run away" Shuhua explained, back then they were too young to realize how dangerous it was to do what they were doing. "We got caught two hours later because our korean was so bad we couldn't get into the bus on our own'' She laughed. She could still remember how a police car parked in front of them at the bus stop and how Yuqi's mom came out of it crying her eyes out as soon as she spotted them.

"Then what?"

"Hey, I thought it was your turn to share" Shuhua said, laughing as Soojin whines and holds her arm tighter as she shakes the younger, complaining about how the taiwanesse was annoying. "We got grounded after that, a whole month!" She then added and Soojin couldn't keep herself from laughing at that, trying to picture how shocked little Shuhua must have been with this punishment, however in the back of her head there was this silent question about why she was so willing to run away from home too. "It's your turn now."

"Well there was this one time in middle school-" Soojin is then interrupted by the buzzing noise of her phone and they both stop walking while the older picks it up from her coat's pocket and checks who it was. "Oh, It's Miyeon-Unnie" 

"What does she wants?" Shuhua asked, leaning to see the text, oblivious to the way Soojin flinched at how close she was to her face, The taiwanesse checks the message, it's a picture of Miyeon and Minnie but she could see Yuqi and Soyeon in the back checking something on the store's shelf and then there's the caption below.

**Miyeon-Unnie:**

_ Jin Jin, I know you and ShuShu are going out right now but what about we hang out? Yuqi and Soyeon are here too. _

"What do you think?" Soojin asked, looking at Shuhua but being confused once she notices the younger's frown as she stares at the text, her eye twitches. "What 's wrong?"

"Why is she calling you that?" She asked, pointing to the text and Soojin shrugs.

"I told her about the nickname" Which resulted in some teasing but Miyeon did like it, but judging by Shuhua's reaction something about it was bothering her. "Why?"

"It's  _ my  _ nickname for you" The younger replied, as if that alone was an enough argument, then arched an eyebrow once she was met with Soojin's confused expression. "Others can't use it"

Soojin chuckles. "Are you… being possessive over a nickname?"

"Yes? I gave it to you, she can't use it" Shuhua leaned closer, her cheek pressed against Soojin's head as she gestures to the older's phone with her finger. "Tell her to stop using it, she can't" 

"Ok, Okay…" Soojin replied, rolling her eyes, but she would be lying if she said she didn't like that kind of reaction and how focused Shuhua's eyes were as she texted Miyeon before they decided to join the other four to hang out together. 

  
  


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"Ok, Maybe I should've listened to Miyeon" Minnie eventually said as she sat on the floor next to Shuhua and Soojin, eyeing the store's door which was now closed due to the sudden snowstorm going on outside that had everyone trapped where they are, in this case it happen to be with the group split in two.

"Why do I feel like you're going to say that a lot from now on" Shuhua replied, the back of her head touching the glass behind her as she closes her eyes. "She really put a leash on you"

The plan was to hang out together and then go to Soojin's place, the only one without any parents, so they could have some fun as in watching a movie and drink hot chocolate all afternoon, that was the plan until Miyeon decided they could buy some cookies and other snacks from one store only for Minnie to argue the cookies from another store were better, and despite the eldest saying that they should just to the closest store, Minnie decided to go to the one she wanted alongside Shuhua, who just wanted to be a brat and go against what Miyeon said, and Soojin; Of course they weren't expecting for it to start to snow as soon as they got in and to end up stuck inside.

"In my defense" Minnie started. "I couldn't predict it was going to snow that much"

"You should listen to Miyeon more often" Soojin replied as she watched the older stand up and pick up her phone again to text her girlfriend with no success, the signal wasn't working that well; Soojin looked at Shuhua who was currently trying to take a nap despite the situation and the older gently fixed her scarf so she was warm, blushing when the taiwanesse opened one eye to look at her and then smile before closing it again, despite the cold the blonde could feel her hands sweating.

"Stupid phone" She heard Minnie complain and then stood up. "What are we supposed to do?"

"We could just buy what we're supposed to before the snow is gone, I doubt it's gonna take much longer," Soojin said as she stood up, and started to walk around the store with Minnie right behind her checking for some chips and other stuff. 

"Unnie, Do you want some soda?"

"Do you like Shuhua?" 

Minnie almost laughed at how Soojin froze, not only because her question was answered with another question but also because of what the Thai was asking in the first place and she could see the way the younger was trying to think of a proper answer after seconds of processing what she just heard, Then Minnie decided to tease her a bit, even if her reaction was enough answer.

"I mean, you two are always together now and it's been a while since you tried to claw her face again" She said and watched as Soojin blushed. 

"We're… friends'' Soojin replied, quietly as she started to get shy. "She asked to be friends with me" She then added and Minnie was surprised and looked back at Shuhua napping on the floor; She didn't expect for the Taiwanesse to start the friendship, she could be so shy sometimes. "I accepted so… we're friends now"

"Just friends?"

"Huh?" If Soojin could get any redder, she would and Minnie thought that was adorable. "W-What do you mean?!" She managed to ask, before she started to walk away which had the older giggling before following her. "We're friends so of course I like her!" 

"Yeah, Yeah. It's what I meant" Minnie said. "No need to get so nervous"

"I'm not nervous!" Soojin argued. 

"But still-" Minnie started, picking up some party sized potato chips bag from the top shelf before following Soojin around as she went to grab some drinks. "I'm glad you like her… as friend" 

The younger didn't replied, and Minnie took it as she was too shy or afraid to say something that might be taken out of context but to the Thai no context was needed, she had eyes and saw what was going on, from Soojin's side at least as Shuhua wasn't that open about her feelings, she was the type to play around a lot but put her on the spot and ask how she feels and she will pull her walls up in a second and try to change the subject right away. 

"I think Shuhua has been lonely" She tried again. "So if you wanna be with her, I'll approve it… as a friend, of course" She smiled, knowing that Soojin would get what she was saying even if she pretended she didn't.

"I'm buying watermelon juice, what do you want?" It's all what Soojin said, without looking at her and Minnie chuckles as she shakes her head. 

"I'll have strawberry" 

"Ok"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted this chapter to be longer but today's sooshu content fried my brain.


	32. Chapter 32

"So how was it like meeting the in-laws?" Yuqi mocked as she elbows Shuhua once they're sitting together on the couch in the living room of Soojin's house while the others are in the kitchen after explicitly banning them from coming in because they aren't to be trusted near a stove and so they are technically grounded from joining the others. "Did you promised you would take good care of Soojin-Unnie?"

"Shut up!" Shuhua pushed Yuqi who fell on the couch while laughing at her reaction, only for both of them to go quiet when they heard Soojin scolding them from the kitchen, telling the two of them to not break anything in her house so they quickly sat straight and tried to look as polite as possible. "Her parents are pretty nice, and her sister is… " Shuhua made a Ok sign with her hands, worrying Soojin might hear their conversation and make her way here to beat her up.

Yuqi laughs. "So I've heard, Miyeon-Unnie told me she was really pretty and I don't need to say Minnie wasn't that happy about that" She then looks back to the entrance to make sure none of the others was near before she moved closer to Shuhua who arched an eyebrow. "So… What was the real reason for Soojin-Unnie's cold?"

"We just stayed outside talking for too long, Just like she said" Shuhua crossed her arms. "Why are you interrogating me?"

"I was just curious, something changed between you two," Yuqi said and Shuhua frowned. "Come on, you can't say you didn't notice"

"Of course I did, I was the one who started it" Shuhua replied as she rolled her eyes and ignored the way Yuqi dramatically gasped. 

"Are you being bold for once? Where's all that courage when-" she stops herself when Shuhua glared at her " …When you know who was single" She then added and Shuhua sighes.

"First of all, I just thought it would be better for the both of us to get along so we could work together better," Shuhua said, now avoiding looking at Yuqi. "Second of all, I have no second intentions with Soojin. She turned out to be a good friend and I like her just like that, as a friend"

"I dunno" Yuqi said right away, looking back again. "It looks to me like you're sending mixed signals… which you’re always the best at"

"Shut Up, Why don't you worry about your fake relationship?" Shuhua mumbled, starting to feel annoyed as she knew exactly what the chinese girl meant and hated every time she kept bringing it up; But then Yuqi goes silent and Shuhua looks at her again, worried she took her words to heart and not wanting her to be mad again. "Sorry-"

"Actually, I think…" There's a blush on her cheeks and in other situations Shuhua would've made fun of her but right now she looked really shy and the younger wanted to know why. "I think I'm starting to like her for real" Her voice comes out like a shy whisper and Shuhua looks at her, surprised. 

"Really?" Yuqi could only nod before looking away, not wanting to look at Shuhua's face at that moment. "Oh my god-"

"No, stop-"

"That is so-"

"Shuhua-"

"Cute!" 

Yuqi screams when she feels Shuhua's hands on her cheeks, squeezing her face together as she makes baby noises at her, ignoring the way the other was struggling to move away, and failing to do so; Both ignoring Soojin once again telling them to behave from the kitchen before Minnie saying something about being polite.

"Leave me alone, I'm your unnie!" Yuqi argued, trying to take the other's hands away from her face. "My god, why is your grip so strong!"

"I'm a basketball player, you dumbass" Shuhua jokes, finally releasing the other who fell on the couch. "I'm just happy for you"

"Can't you just give me a hug like a normal person?" 

"That would be too easy and-"

"Are you guys going to break the whole house down?" They heard Miyeon ask as she walked in, hands on her hips like a scolding mom talking to her misbehaving kids and Shuhua covered her mouth with her hand to cover her giggles at the sight. "Seriously-"

"But, unnie. We're just playing around” Yuqi said, putting her face on her hands and Shuhua did the same. Both overplaying the cute role that had Miyeon covering her eyes right away.

“Stop using your cuteness against me!!” Minnie and Soyeon’s heads pop in from the corner of the room as they look at what was going on before looking at each other, nodding as if agreeing with something unsaid.

“I told you Miyeon couldn’t do it,” Soyeon said, looking up to the older who just sighs as she nods, and hands the younger the money from her wallet. “Too soft” She said now looking at Miyeon who just crossed her arms, pouting that Minnie would bet about this.

Eventually they all ended up being scolded by Soojin, the two youngest for not being able to stand still for 2 seconds without almost breaking something while the others were scolded for leaving her to do everything on her own, it was easy to forget that Soojin wasn’t the eldest of the group; But also everything ended with all of them sitting on the couch together drinking hot chocolate, trying to find something to watch on the TV.

Soojin noticed Shuhua looking at Yuqi and Soyeon cuddling on their seats with that smile on her face, which had the older confused but decided not to think much of it as right now she was more focused on the fact while it was great to hang out with their friends, it didn't changed the fact that they're stuck with two loving couples and that made her hyper aware of Shuhua sitting next to her casually drinking her hot chocolate while watching with a smirk as Miyeon struggles to find something for them to watch. 

"We should watch a horror movie, to keep us warm" The youngest of the group suggested with a smile. 

"No, we shouldn't!" Soojin said, grabbing her arm and Shuhua laughed, knowing that Soojin was too much of a scared cat to handle it. "It's christmas, we should watch a movie like that"

"It's not christmas, we barely entered november" Shuhua argued, looking at the older who still didn't release her arm, so they now have their arms interlocked but nobody was going to bring that up despite noticing it right away. "We should watch a horror-"

"Ah, Yeh Shuhua-"

"Fine, Fine. Suspense then" She was willing to compromise and watched as Soojin weighed her options before turning to Miyeon and deciding to go with suspense instead, missing the way the elder was smiling a little bit too big after watching their quick convo.

**.**

  
  
  


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Soojin was fine with being a coward, Shuhua spend the past 20 minutes calling her one every time she would scream at the jumpscares and hide her face on the younger's shoulder which had Yuqi, on her seat, claim that she was more scared of Soojin's reaction than she's scared of the movie itself; Minnie was also using Miyeon as a shield, as if the bad guy from the movie would jump from the TV and try to get them and their only chances of survival was her soft spoken girlfriend's strong arms. Soojin and Minnie shared a look and nodded at each other, understanding the other's struggle. 

"This is ridiculous, It's not even scary" Shuhua said when she felt Soojin hiding her face on her neck. "I could tell that a jumpscare was coming right away" 

Soojin doesn't reply and just keep on trying to watch the movie but eventually just end up using it as a excuse to stay this close from the younger who was watching with all her attention, not even flinching in the scary parts, but still mocking the others when they did get scared; She would be lying if she said part of her wasn't enjoying having a excuse to be this close to Shuhua and the fact that the other also didn't mind having the older girl all over her was good too, she head a really soft scent that had Soojin wondering if it was her perfume or not.

Shuhua might end up making Soojin like peaches a lot. 

Somehow, as the time went by Soojin managed to fall asleep once the second movie, now a horror movie, was playing on the TV, her arms were still wrapped around Shuhua's, who didn't complain about the closeness at all and just watched the movie in silence to not disturb the sleepy girl on her side, trying her best the knowing look from the other two couples in the room, trying to just focus on watching the movie and have fun. 

But as hours pass by and the sun starts to set outside and the bright sky becomes darker, one by one they start to fall asleep as well, too tired to be bickering with each other over who was the most scared cat when watching the movies, so when Soojin finally woke up she was met with complete silence as her eyes looked around to the sight of her friends sleeping deeply on the couches, she left a yawn as she sit straight but the movement woke Shuhua up right away.

"What are you doing?" The older almost laughed at how grumpy the other sounded as she mumbles, looking at Soojin with sleepy eyes.

"We fell asleep" Soojin whispered so the others wouldn't wake up, her hand grabbed the remote and she quickly turned off the TV before turning to Shuhua who was now rubbing her eyes as if to try and wake herself up and Soojin had to stop herself from squeezing her cheeks because she looked so adorable, despite her action she still looked like she wanted some sleep. "Still, Sleepy?" Soojin asked, quietly and Shuhua nodded.

"Yes, I'm tired…" It's the first time Soojin hears her admit that so she held Shuhua's hands. 

"Let's go to my room then" Soojin whispered as they quietly stood up from their seat and made their way upstairs trying not to make any noise that could wake up the others, Shuhua just quietly followed the older as she yawns over and over, always in a cute manner that had Soojin keeping herself from smiling; Once they were in Soojin's room, the older tried not to blush as she took off the taiwanesses jacket before making her sit down on the bed. Sleepy Shuhua was easy to handle, she was quiet and just nodded everything people say, but as Soojin was ready to make her way out the girl grabbed her wrist to stop her from leaving.

"Sleep with me"

Soojim blushed, all the way to her ears once she heard that request.

"Huh?" That's all her mouth could come up with but Shuhua didn't seem to mind because she just pulled her arm until Soojin was sitting on the bed before she could move further into the bed, patting the spot in front of her. 

"Sleep" 

This was not how she planned to spend her night, that’s for sure but once she laid on the bed, with her back turned to Shuhua to avoid any further embarrassment on that really weird, yet not bad, day- She felt the younger’s arm wrapped around her and if she was blushing before then she was blushing even more now, she didn’t expected for this to happen at all, so her heart was racing like crazy.

“Unnie, Your hair looks better black” She heard Shuhua mumble behind her, her face buried on Soojin’s hair. “You should dye it back” Her voice is lower now, probably falling asleep again and Soojin could only hum in response to her words, not trusting her words right now and she has the feeling that if Shuhua kept holding her this close she wouldn’t be able to sleep at all.

  
  


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She did fall asleep. Obviously, but once she woke up she was alone in her bed and for a second she thought everything was all a fever dream and Soyeon put something on her hot chocolate to make her hallucinate or something, however once she heard the voices downstairs bickering over something she couldn’t hear properly, she realized it wasn’t a dream and that she indeed spent the night cuddling with Shuhua. There was no need to say that her ears became red right away; She tries not to think about those mixed signals the other is sending her way, maybe she just was expecting more than she should from Shuhua, the taiwanesse liked someone else and she had to keep that in mind no matter what; Soojin told herself that she should just move on, and ignore those feelings until they’re gone.

And on the following day, when she shows up at school with her black hair, she tells herself and others it was her own decision. 

Even if it’s a lie.


	33. Chapter 33

"Nooo!" Yuqi whined as soon as she saw Soojin approach their table which had the cheerleader freeze on the spot, confused by that reaction and wondering what was wrong only for Soyeon to poke her girlfriend as if to tell her to behave which didn't really work as the younger kept going. "Soojin-Unnie, we were supposed to match! Blonde Duo"

"Black Haired Duo!" Minnie then said, ignoring the chinese girl as she stood up from her seat and raised her hands for Soojin to high five which the cheerleader did, shy but still did it. "Actually… I kinda wanna dye mine again"

"Please don't. It's good the way it is" Shuhua then said, finally joining the conversation and as always being anti hair dye no matter what. "Also let your hair breath" 

"The favoritism" Soojin heard Yuqi say as she sat by the table. "When I dyed my hair you told me you hoped I would go bald!" She accused, and Shuhua crossed her arms.

"That's because you only dyed your hair to impress-... S-Soyeon-Unnie '' Soojin squints her eyes at the hesitance of the younger's voice and the way she stutters, but any thoughts she had was interrupted by soyeon leaning closer to her girlfriend with a surprised yet worried look on her face.

"You dyed your hair because of me? you didn't have to," she said and Yuqi felt her cheeks starting to burn as she hid her face on her hands and ignored how the others started to giggle at her reaction. "I like you the way you are" That alone was enough to make Minnie and Miyeon go 'aww' as they leaned against each other and looked at the younger couple with a soft smile while Shuhua made a disgusted face.

"Wait until you see how she looks like when she wakes up" 

"Yeh Shuhua!" Yuqi complained while the younger smirks, before dropping other embarrassing facts about her best friend, Knowing that Yuqi was starting to like Soyeon for real made it easier to tease Yuqi, because all she wanted was to Shuhua to stay quiet and don't say anything too embarrassing in front of her girlfriend which of course just encouraged Shuhua to do just that.

"Don't you sleep like an otter?" Soojin joined the teasing and watched as Yuqi looked at her in shock, and Minnie covered her mouth to keep herself from laughing as she also knew what that was about.

Soyeon, and Miyeon, was now even more confused.

"An otter?"

"Yeah, like-"

"No! Don't tell her that!" 

  
  


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Soojin stood alone by the locker room fixing her cheerleader uniform, people have been praising her new hair color all day and of course that made her really shy, never getting used to being the center of attention like this but it still felt good to know so many people liked the change. 

But, of course, Part of Soojin was disappointed Shuhua had shown no reaction to her new hair color despite being the one who suggested for her to dye it back to black, her mind was telling her that maybe the younger didn't liked it at all but didn't want to say anything and offend Soojin, Maybe Shuhua doesn't even remember suggesting it to Soojin since she was so sleepy when the words escaped her lips; The girl sighs as she touches her hair now feeling insecurity growing inside of her, she should've stick with the blonde instead of trying to impress the taiwanesse who obviously couldn't care less about what she did to her appearance. 

Then she felt hands on her hips and gasps, startled since she thought she was alone in the locker room but then she heard a quiet giggle at her reaction.

"Why are you thinking so loudly? I could hear you from the door" Shuhua asked, standing behind the cheerleader with a smile on her face, she was in a good mood that day and Soojin assumed it had something to do about how she spent so much time teasing Yuqi with Minnie. "Is everything ok?"

"Mhmm" Soojin hummed in response while she played with her hair. "It's fine, why are you here?"

"Ouch, Do I need a reason?" Shuhu asked. "I wanted to see you, that's all" The younger replied. "I actually was thinking of something we could do together, if you're free."

"You like to take me out a lot. Do you have a crush on me or something?" Soojin then said, feeling like teasing the other, even if she was embarrassed by what she just said but Shuhua thinks it's funny and ends up laughing.

"Yes, I do. You're just my type" Shuhua replied. "But seriously, I was wondering if you want to go to my place, and meet my parents" Soojin then turned to look at the other just now realizing Shuhua was still holding her from behind. "It's only fair since I've met yours, but if you don't want-"

"And miss the opportunity to see  _ your _ baby pictures? Never!" 

"Seo Soojin, You're so petty" Shuhua said with a smile and Soojin smiled back before feeling shy due to the younger's gaze and looking down again, finding it more interesting to play with her hair as a way to calm down her heart. "By the way… I like your hair," Shuhua said and Soojin looked up at her in surprise, she didn't expect the other to actually say that to her.

"Really?" Soojin hates how her voice almost cracked from the surprise and gulped once Shuhua smirked at her.

"Yeah, It suits you" Shuhua reached for her hair to hold it gently. "Sorry I didn't say it before, I got a bit shy" She added, now giggling as her cheeks become slightly pink which Soojin never saw before until now, The older was sure that Shuhua's cuteness was going to be the end of her one day. 

"That's ok… I understand" Soojin said, but part of her was surprised Shuhua would be shy about something like this when she can be so… straightforward with what's in her mind, but to think she made the other shy somehow was enough to start the stubborn feeling of hope inside her chest which Soojin was quick to ignore and remind herself that her feelings are one-sided. 

"I also wanted to ask something," The Taiwanesse asked, her hands still on Soojin's hips. She has been doing that a lot, Soojin noticed; It somehow felt natural. "Can I watch you guys practice today?" There's this almost child-like smile on her lips as she makes the question and Soojin almost said yes right away if her brain didn't process the question and she looks at the younger, grumpy.

"Why…? You're going to flirt with the girls again" Soojin accused, with her hands on Shuhua's shoulders to push her away without success which only had the younger laughing as she held the older tighter, ignoring Soojin trying to escape from her.

Shuhua laughs. "Come on, I just wanna watch. You watch the basketball practices" She pointed out, and Soojin stopped struggling for a second.

"That's because Miyeon forces me to, Also I don't flirt with the team!" 

"You could" Shuhua suggested and Soojin arched an eyebrow as the younger smirks. "I'm sure some of them are into you"

"So I can flirt with the basketball team, is that what you're saying?" Soojin asked and watched as the other's smirk started to slowly fade as she looked up as if picturing it in her head before her face turned into disgust if not annoyance.

"No, You can't!" She then said and Soojin giggled.

"Too late, You already gave me permission" 

" _ Unnie! _ " Shuhua whined which only made Soojin laugh, it was good to be the one who was teasing for once.

A month ago if she saw Shuhua by the bleachers watching the cheerleaders's practices, there was no doubt that Seo Soojin would've throw one of her shoes at her and scare her out of the field which most likely would earn tired looks from everyone else while Shuhua herself would be laughing all the way to the exit most likely with Yuqi or Minnie at her side also trying to avoid being hit by a flying shoe, But now she was just sitting there watching with her arms crossed and a smile on her lips and while the girls seemed confused by the lack of a reaction from their captain, nobody planned on questioning Soojin so soon.

Soyeon, who had been quietly watching this development between them happen, thought it was weird, the whole change was weird; It still feels like it was yesterday when Shuhua and Soojin would fight at any given chance like last year around christmas time when Soojin started to attack the younger with snowballs after an argument which then led to a warzone to happen in the parking lot when Shuhua started to fight back and then end up hitting someone else and creating a whole chaos; Soyeon was locked up inside her car watching the whole thing go down that day.

But now they are so… friendly with each other, if not clingy. Yuqi had told her about how Shuhua wanted to be friends with Soojin so the time they spent working together on the play wasn't complete hell plus she was tired of arguing with Soojin every single day, She could understand the logic behind that but still didn't make it any weird to see them talk and smile at each other or how she could almost see the honey dripping from Soojin's eyes everytime she looked at the oblivious taiwanesse; Soyeon thought it was obvious, even if Soojin didn’t said anything about it, anyone who looked long enough would notice it.

“I thought you said she couldn’t watch the practices” Soyeon commented during their break as she motions to Shuhua casually sitting on the bleaches, Soojin didn’t reply to her comment, all she did was shrug. “You guys are weird nowadays” She then added.

"I thought you would enjoy us stopping fighting" Soojin fixed her ponytail. "Didn't you want some peace?" 

"Yeah, but that doesn't make it any less weird" Soyeon replied, drinking from her water bottle and watching as Soojin quietly looked back to where Shuhua was sitting and there she goes again with a shy smile as she waves to the younger who waved back with a smile. 

_ Weird _ . It's how Soyeon would summarize this, She didn't think Shuhua would be Soojin's type at all. 

"Whatever is going on here-'' Soojin looked at Soyeon in confusion as the other started to talk. "I would advise you to protect yourself before you end up getting hurt" She watched as Soojin frowned, probably trying to understand where she was going with this conversation.

"Why would I end up getting hurt?"

"You know why" Soyeon said, if Soojin didn't have the courage to say it outloud then she wasn't going to be the one who said it but judging from her surprised face she knows that her friend understood what she meant. "But I just wanted to remind you that  _ she _ is not popular with the girls for no reason" 

She hated to be the one to bring it up, but she had to and Soojin seemed to remember that as well because she looked down before looking back at Shuhua again who was now smiling as she texted on her phone, the mood had shifted now as Soyeon's words finally sank in.

"I get it," Soojin finally said after a few seconds of silence. "Let's go back to practice"

"Ok"

  
  


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"Stop, You look fine" Shuhua said between giggles as she watched Soojin fidged with her dress once again as they walked their way to Shuhua's house after the younger insisted to pick Soojin up on her house which had the older having to endure a lot of teasing comments from her sister. "Why are you nervous? You've met them before"

"Now, I've  _ seen _ them before. I never properly talked to your parents" Soojin said, grabbing Shuhua's wrist, who just laughed as she shook her head. "What if they hate me?"

"I doubt it, you have everything my mother would love," Shuhua said. "Actually I think she might adopt you and kick me out," She added, but then her eyes widen as if she just remembers something really important "Ah, I hope you don't mind the uh… accent. It can get in the way to say a few words and she doesn't practice enough korean, but I try helping her here and there so-"

"It's fine," Soojin said, holding Shuhua's hand now to ease her worries. She knew that she had a hard time with korean before, even at their school with so many people willing to be mean about it and she hated how Shuhua felt the need to apologize in advance because of that. "I don't really mind, you know" She watched as Shuhua slowly nodded but there was still that doubt in her eyes and she knew it but took no offense from it and instead just decided to prove it to her.

"My Father will only show up around dinner time" She changed the topic and offered her arm to Soojin who interlocked their arms right away. "He has lot of work to do but said he would like to meet you" 

The way to Shuhua's house was filled with small talk and comfortable silence here and there, The older would mention how her mother thought Shuhua's accent was cute, which caused the younger trying to apologize for letting it slip but Soojin stopped her from doing it, and Shuhua would casually talk about how she's the first friend she bought home since they arrived to Korea. 

"Well, besides Minnie, you're the first," Shuhua said. "I don't need to mention Yuqi, because she basically lives with us" Soojin laughs at that because from what Soyeon had told her before, that was true. 

"You never brought Miyeon?"

Shuhua frowns at the question. "I don't bring my enemies into my house" 

Soojin laughs and slaps her shoulder. "Shut Up! You're so dramatic" 

Truth is, as much as Shuhua knew Miyeon was a kind hearted person who wasn't capable of being mean to anyone, she still felt embarrassed about the idea of inviting any of the koreans over to her house, she knew none of them would say anything mean but she couldn't help but feel anxious. Right now she is trying not to freak out as she realizes Soojin would be meeting her parents and talking with them; If Soojin was nervous then Shuhua was panicking but doing an amazing job at pretending she was as calm as possible.

They've arrived at Shuhua's home in no time and the younger had to stop Soojin from fixing her clothes yet again and reassuring her that she looked fine, beautiful even and of course the compliment got the older blushing right away before Shuhua opened the door and called for her mother who was in the kitchen and from the really good smell, Soojin could tell she was baking something. 

The both of them removed their coats and their shoes before walking towards the kitchen where Shuhua's mom was, baking cookies since the girl had told her earlier about how she was bringing a new friend over which had the woman really happy as she knew Shuhua always had a hard time making friends; Shuhua was quick to introduce the both of them and Soojin politely bows to the woman who did the same. 

Now that Soojin had a better look, it didn't take much to notice how young the woman looks, her own mother was starting to fight against the inevitable grey hair here and there meanwhile Mrs. Yeh looked far away from that stage which had her wondering, especially as she was just now considering Shuhua's age, but it wasn't her place to ask, at least not yet; Mrs. Yeh was soft spoken which was surprising that she managed to raise such a loud person as Shuhua, and despite the language barrier they could talk with each other really well, under Shuhua's attentive look as she barely joined their convo and just let them be even if deep down she was a bit nervous.

When Soojin offered to help with baking, and mentioned how she liked cooking, the reaction was quick. 

"Oh, Finally-" The woman said. "It would be great if you manage to convince that one," She looks back at Shuhua who was still sitting by the table watching them in silence."To learn how to cook"

Soojin laughs while Shuhua whines about something along the lines of not needing to cook if she can just have instant noodles instead which had Mrs. Yeh shaking her head in disapproval.

"How are you going to find a husband like this?" She said and Soojin noticed how the younger girl rolled her eyes but didn't say anything and instead picked up her phone and started to type something, maybe playing a game or maybe just texting another girl.

Soojin shakes her head and tries to tell herself she has no right to be jealous, Shuhua was only her friend. 

  
  


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Dinner time came and so Shuhua and her mother were placing the food on the table and even if Soojin offered to help, Shuhua didn't let her and just told her to sit down and look pretty; She could tell the girl was looking forward for her to meet her father and whole the man didn't arrive, Soojin had the pleasure of seeing what she came for, the embarrassing baby pictures. 

"Most of her baby pictures are in my parent's house back in Taiwan" Mrs. Yeh said as she turns another page of the album she has on top of the table, as she looked at the pictures Soojin realized that Shuhua was right, Yuqi basically lived with them, the girl was in almost every picture that was taken and in some of them she had to laugh as it was just her standing in front of the camera, only her eyes to be seen, while Shuhua was trying to pose for the picture in the back. 

One of the pictures was from Shuhua's 17th birthday and Soojin tried not to feel bad about how there was only Yuqi and Minnie with her in the pictures, She didn't really had that many friends and that became more obvious as besides Yuqi, there was only Minnie in the pictures, she laughed at one of the birthday pictures which was Minnie trying to lick the cake's frosting from Shuhua's cheek while the taiwanesse was pushing her away looking disgusted; She looked up from the album to Shuhua who was glancing at the clock on the wall, a few minutes have passed and it seems her father wasn't coming. 

"Let's eat before it becomes cold" Mrs. Yeh said with a smile but Soojin knows that she noticed how Shuhua's mood have shifted as she realized that her father forgot he was supposed to come meet her friend because he was most likely at his office too focused on his work to remember anything else, they ate in silence and despite the feeling of disappointment she could feel radiating from Shuhua, it was still a comfortable silence as Mrs. Yeh tries to fill the silence here and there.

  
  


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Shuhua insisted on walking her home.

Soojin believed it was because she didn’t want to stay at home for much longer and was using her as an excuse to get out, But she wasn’t going to complain. She takes what she can get and right now it was good to just walk side by side with the taiwanesse despite her mood not being the same as before, she was definitely sad and Soojin didn’t know how to bring it up without feeling like she was intruding in her business. 

“Today was nice” She eventually said, trying to break the ice between them, Shuhua looked surprised by the words.

“Really?”

“Yeah, why would I lie?”

Shuhua doesn’t reply but Soojin knows the reasoning behind her words, She was probably worrying about what Soojin was thinking of her, of her parents. 

“Today was nice” She repeated her words, smiling at the younger who nodded, taking in the words and telling herself that Soojin was being honest, there was no need for her to be lying; She got along with her mother really well so there was nothing to worry. “We should do this more times”

“I don’t think I want my mom deciding you’re a better daughter than me” Shuhua replied and Soojin smiles, glad she was joking again. “She said I’m like this because Yuqi and Minnie keep doing everything for me” She laughs and Soojin nods.

“I can see why”

“Hey!”

“They baby you, don’t deny that” Soojin said between laughs while Shuhua tries to come up with an argument but realizes she has none because it’s the truth, they did that even if they realized it or not. 

“Fine, you win,” Shuhua said, smiling which caused Soojin to smile as well.

Soojin thinks she’s fine with this, making her smile. It was enough, at least it’s what she tells herself as they kept on walking together, maybe walking around holding hands wasn’t going to help her getting over this feeling but she couldn’t bring herself from stopping Shuhua from initiating it, she should probably feel bad for somehow be taking advantage of the situation but, she didn’t. All she wanted was to spend more time with her, maybe she should be forward with her feelings and just tell Shuhua how she feels.

“There you go!” Shuhua said once they’re in front of her house. “You know I should charge you for my bodyguard services, this is like the second time I walk you home”

“Woah, the second time. You’ve done so much” Soojin mocked as she rolled her eyes and playfully pushed her away. “You’re an idiot”

“Right, Right. I know you’re just trying to hide the fact you love me” Shuhua teased with a smirk and for a moment, a quick moment, Soojin almost agreed with her but she managed to keep it in and just shaked her head.

“Excuse me, You’re the one who won’t leave me alone and keep taking me on dates”

“If I don’t do that you don’t interact with other people” Shuhua argued. “I’m doing your introverted self a favor, you should be thanking me”

“Thank you” Soojin sounded sincere and that caught Shuhua out of guard as she stumbled on her words, not knowing how to reply and the older smile and how flustered she seemed to get because of that. “I know you wanted today to go better but honestly, it was still good even if you think it wasn’t”

Shuhua wasn’t the type to go all out with her affection unless she’s being playful, Soojin knew that even before they were friends, so when the younger one came closer to her, more than her heart was prepared, and surprised her with a hug, she was frozen on the spot for a second until she was finally able to react and hug her back, the younger didn’t said anything so she didn’t tried to fill the silence and just hugged her back, not really minding the snowflakes falling. 


	34. Chapter 34

Holding Soojin like this in her arms was warm and comfortable like a blanket on a cold day, If she spent too much time under it she could feel all her worries slipping away from her mind and just focusing on relax, the snowflakes dropping on their shoulders and hair doesn't even seemed to bother them and Shuhua doesn't mind if someone walks by and thinks they're weird for hugging like this, in fact her eyes check the windows of the Seo Household and noticed the lights were off, Soojin's parents were probably still at work and she would spend the night alone once Shuhua left to go back home so a sudden idea popped in her head and she moved away, not totally but just enough to look at the older who also kept her arms around Shuhua and the taiwanesse noticed the shade of red on her cheeks but just assumed it was from the cold.

"Don't go home" 

"Huh?" Soojin was confused by her words and Shuhua held her tighter. "What do you mean?"

"Let's go out," The younger one said, smirking.

"Right now? It's pretty late" She looks back at her house. Not many places are open right now so she doesn't think there's much for them to do, But Shuhua doesn't seem to mind there. "There's nothing left to do"

"We can have our own fun, come on" The taiwanesse encouraged. "Let this be our first act of rebellion" Soojin smiles at her words before looking back at her house again and biting her lips as she considers her options. Her parents wouldn't notice if she wasn't home and she could just say to her sister that it was too late to leave Shuhua's house so she stayed over. It was pretty simple. "Come on,  _ Unnie _ " 

Soojin realizes that every time Shuhua calls her 'Unnie', she managed to convince her quicker to do things she was hesitant to, Like she put a spell in the word that somehow filled Soojin with courage, it was probably why the older grabbed the taiwanesse's hand and dragged her to the garage so they could 'borrow' the car that was parked there, like a runaway couple in a drama. 

"I'll drive!" The younger claimed as she took the keys from Soojin's hand. 

"Are you even old enough to drive?" Soojin asked, already entering the car and laughing at Shuhua's offended face.

"Of course I do! How dare you question my driving skills" She complained once she's behind the wheel and started to drive. "Did you know Yuqi and I took our driving license together?" 

Soojin shakes her head. "No, but Miyeon said you look like a baby when driving"

"See?! This is why Miyeon is my enemy. I'm never giving her a ride again" Shuhua complained as she shook her head which had Soojin laughing. "Now where was I? Ah yeah, Yuqi and I got our licenses together"

"I thought Yuqi was already of age back then," Soojin said, watching as Shuhua made a curve, she had no idea where the two of them were going but was going to trust the younger one for now. 

"Yes she was but Yuqi wanted for us to take our licences together" 

"That's actually really cute"

"I know," Shuhua laughs. "Yuqi is in love with me" Soojin laughs and smacks her shoulder making the other laugh as well, she knew if Yuqi was there they probably would end up bickering because of that. "Minnie taught us how to drive"

"Really?"

"Yeah, it was on school break and my dad was really busy so he couldn't teach me" Shuhua explained and Soojin had the suspicion that Mr. Yeh never really had the time to spend with Shuhua. "So Minnie taught us, she didn't do it alone tho I remember her brothers on the phone helping"

Soojin had to laugh picturing the moment happening in her head, Shuhua inside Minnie's car with Yuqi in back and Minnie's brothers on the phone giving moral support, the whole thing sounds like it was straight out of a comedy skit. 

"I gotta say tho" Shuhua then started again. "Teacher Minnie and Student Yuqi are not a good combination, they kept bickering and yelling at each other while I was in the back talking to her parents" Shuhua added. "Yuqi almost ran over a poor squirrell" 

"And I thought my first time driving was a mess," Soojin said as she laughed and Shuhua smiled. It wasn't very common to see the older girl laugh that often and she was glad to be the one to get so many laughs and giggles out of her. "Also where are we going?"

"Right now? Just driving around"

"Pay for the gasoline, please"

"Of course!"

Shuhua turned on the radio and Soojin smiled as she closed her eyes and just enjoyed the song while the younger one kept driving, the window on her side was open so Soojin could feel the cold wind hit her face and yet it wasn't bothering her as much as she thought it would; The smile on her lips become wider as she hears Shuhua trying to sing along the music despite not really knowing the lyrics and how that alone was enough to make the taiwanesse laugh to herself. 

"Hey, Don't sleep on our date" Shuhua complained, reaching with one arm to shake Soojin's shoulder to keep her from falling asleep, Soojin opened her eyes and looked at the younger as she kept on driving.

Has she mentioned how much this crush seems to make Shuhua even prettier every time she sees her? Even now as she hums to the music on the radio, not even minding Soojin watching her, she looks beautiful and then there's her eyes. Soojin liked her eyes a lot, or maybe she liked the way she looked at people she just knew there was something attractive about it and right now it looks like she has the whole universe in her eyes.

Soojin likes that, but she hates how she's probably thinking about someone else. 

"Can I ask you something?" She asked, sitting properly on the seat so she won't end up falling asleep by accident. Shuhua nods, casually. "In the baby pictures your mom showed me, you always had short hair but now you're very protective of your long hair, is there a reason?" It was something odd to ask, she thought but somehow she was curious about it; Cute little Shuhua with her short hair and bangs was adorable and made Soojin want to squeeze her cheeks a lot. 

Shuhua laughs at the question.

"Well, when I was a kid, before we came to South Korea" She started, the car's speed decreasing as she noticed the thin layer of ice covering the street ahead. "There was this one girl who lived in front of our house, I guess you can say that was my first love?" She laughs and Soojin can tell she's feeling shy as she tells the story. "I like to think kids have the most pure form of love and have the tendency to focus on simple things when they like someone… I really liked her long hair, it was pretty and I would daydream about brushing her hair all day" Another embarrassed laugh and Soojin smiles again.

"That's cute"

"We never got to be friends," Shuhua continued. "When Father told us we're moving to South Korea I was really sad I wasn't going to see her again so I grew my hair to remind myself of her" She touches her hair and smiles softly. "I end up liking it a lot and it's how I end up meeting Yuqi in middle school, she came up to me and said she thought my hair was pretty"

"A match made in heaven" Shuhua laughs at the comments but nods, it was true. "My first love was… My math teacher"

"Oh, I didn't know that you're into older men" 

"First of all, Gross! Don't say it like that!" Soojin complained while Shuhua kept herself from laughing "Second of all, It was a she"

"...Oh" Shuhua paused for a second and Soojin waited for her to fully process the words. "...So Milfs then"

"Don't make me jump off the car" 

"Fine, Fine. Continue"

"Well, She was just the prettiest girl in my eyes" Soojin told her as she laughed thinking back. "I remember using my allowance to buy her a box of chocolates on valentine days because I was so sure I could ask her out" 

"Oh no" Shuhua laughed and Soojin did the same. "Please tell me you didn't do that in front of your class"

"I wasn't that bold'' Shuhua sighs in relief, she was almost blushing from second hand embarrassment at the idea. "But I waited until class was over to ask her" 

"And? The suspense is killing me!" 

"She took it really well, I even got a head pat and a nice rejection" Soojin said. "She kept the chocolates tho"

"Typical Women, Always want your gifts but never your love" Shuhua shakes her head and Soojin pokes her cheeks. "Hey-"

"Don't be so dramatic" She then noticed that Shuhua had parked the car. “Ok, where are we now?”

"Who knows"

"You don't know?" She looked around, it didn't seem to be too far away and there's some 24/7 stores nearby in case they needed it. Shuhua had parked in front of what looks like a park. "You just drove to a random place?"

"Yeah, It's fun to just drive around without a destination" Shuhua replied casually, like everyone did that every single day and Soojin just looked at her in surprise. "It's one of my favorite things to do" 

"You have done it before?!"

"Since middle school" She opened the car's door and Soojin turned around to do the same. "WAIT!" she froze at how loud the younger was and watched as she made her way in front of the car and then opened the door for her. "There, let's go" 

"So anyways-" Soojin started as she interlocked their arms together, making their way through the empty park. "You just randomly drive to places?"

"No, Most of the time I just walk" Shuhua corrected and Soojin rolled her eyes as that didn't change much from what she said. "I just think it is fun to walk around without a destination. Yuqi and Minnie are used to it but-" Shuhua shakes her head."Miyeon really panicked one time when I did it." Shuhua rolled her eyes "So overdramatic-" 

"She just likes to take care of you" Soojin was always quick to defend her friend. "You shouldn't be so mean to her" She knows that for the past year Miyeon had been trying her best to become friends with Shuhua, after all she was her girlfriend's friend it was normal for Miyeon to want to befriend her but all of her attempts were stopped by the giant wall that the younger had put between them for no reason. "She likes you-"

"Oh! There's a basketball court!” Shuhua pointed. “Come on-” She smiles before dragging Soojin with her to it. There was an abandoned ball and Shuhua quickly went to go catch it while Soojin stood in the middle of the court. “Let’s play”

“I don’t think this is a fair play” Soojin complained as she watched Shuhua bounce the ball on the floor as she looked at the older with a smile. “You’re the team captain, you have the advantage here”

“I'll go easy on you because you're pretty" Soojin blushed. 

Another reason this crush was going to be the end of her soon enough, Shuhua flirts as easily as she breaths and while she was aware of this before, she was never on the receiving end of it and now she regrets judging the girls from the volleyball team for being all over her just because of a smile or a wink because she knows now what it feels like, But that doesn't mean she'll stop glaring at them for sighing dreamily at Shuhua, the green-eyed monster in her was too strong nowadays. 

"Can't I just throw the ball on the-... the thing?" She asked, pointing up and Shuhua followed with her eyes before she frowned. 

"The hoop?  _ Unnie _ , aren't you korean?" Shuhua laughed.

"Shut Up! You're annoying!" She complained before the taiwanesse laughed and quickly made her way to Soojin, giving her the ball before standing behind the older. 

"It's not that difficult, seriously" Shuhua said, hands adjusting Soojin's arms to help her. "Give it a try" She said, her hands now moving to the older's hips as she watched her try, only for the ball to bounce right back at them, thankfully the younger managed to get them out of the way just in time to avoid a ball hitting her straight in the face. “Okaay, your aim is questionable”

“I almost killed the both of us just now”

“It’s fine, you can just try again” Shuhua winked at her with a smile. 

"You're a very understanding teacher"

"I had a good example," Shuhua replied as she went to pick up the ball again. "Minnie said 'just because we're friends doesn't mean I'll go easy on you' but trust me, she doesn't know how to be strict at all" Shuhua said as she came back and gave the ball back to Soojin.

"Don't take this the wrong way" She started and Shuhua lifted one eyebrow. "But I'm surprised Minnie didn't end up as the team's captain" She added carefully, hoping that the other wouldn't take offense to that but Shuhua just smiled and shrugged.

"To be honest, I thought the same," Shuhua admitted. "She was pretty popular, hardworking and the team likes her a lot. They were not very happy that I was picked instead" Shuhua looked around and chuckled. "They said that it would be hard to understand what I say, but Minnie stood by my side and never really took it personally." Shuhua smiled, mostly to herself, as she thought back to that moment. 

"Minnie is very precious to you, hm?" Soojin asked.

Shuhua looks at her for a second before she nods. "She is… Well, all of my friends are" She laughs. "But she earned my loyalty"

"So I still have to earn your loyalty too?" Soojin asked.

"You're getting there," Shuhua reassured. "Now, let's go try again" 

Shuhua was more reserved than Soojin expected, she never shut up but never really truly talked about herself, she always bragged about her achievements in school but nothing besides that so everytime she got the younger to talk about her personal life, Soojin always made sure to listen closely, it wasn't that often she opens up and so she gave Shuhua all of her attention when she did it; She knew that some people could be a pain in the ass to the foreign students but she never really imaginated some could be as direct as the ones Shuhua would casually talk about.

"Ah, It was really embarrassing-" Shuhua whines as they are sitting together on a bench, Shuhua's arm over Soojin's shoulder and keeping her closer to her body, for warmth purpose only, of course. "I didn't know how to pronounce that food's name so a lot of people went in front of me while I was trying to google it on my phone"

"Well if you have a problem with that again you can call me for help" Soojin suggested, almost not feeling embarrassed by how she was pressed against the younger. 

"Seo Soojin, my hero" Shuhua joked before looking at the older who looked back before getting shy and looking away, she wasn't good with eye contact especially if the other person had eyes like Shuhua's. "and I'm going to teach you how to play basketball"

Soojin laughs. "Should I teach you how to be a cheerleader then?" She asked with a teasing smile as she saw the panic in Shuhua's eyes as she shook her head.

"No, no, no. There's no need to, I'll leave the sexy movements to you" The younger quickly. 

"What? So you can watch it on the field?" Soojin said before they both fell into a comfortable silence again, this time Soojin didn't shy away from the other's gaze, no matter how intense it was right now.

Then Soojin felt her body freeze when the younger came closer, probably why she didn't panic right away when she felt Shuhua's forehead against hers or how theirs noses were barely touching each other, there was this mischievous glint in her eyes and Soojin finally looked down, embarrassed only to realize she was now looking at their lips instead and the way they slowly turn into a smirk.

" _ Unnie _ , am I making you embarrassed?" Soojin gulped as she now looked away. 

"What kind of question is that? You're in my space" Soojin mumbles, which makes the other giggles. "Of course I would be embarrassed. Stop playing games like this" 

"Cute!" She heard Shuhua say, which only had her cheeks becoming redder as the younger still didn't move away. "Anyways, I guess you have to take me home now, my unnie" 

She moved away and Soojin felt like she could finally breathe again.

"Sure, I'll drive you back"

  
  


**.**

  
  
  


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Soojin was starting to hate this boy. Well, not hate but annoyed was a good word.

“And those are for background music, Noona” Seonho explained as he stood next to Shuhua who nodded along as she heard his explanation, munching on her corndog despite being lectured by Soojin early about how that wasn't breakfast, as for Soojin she was sitting in front of the piano as she watched the whole interaction happen, which is the nicest way to say she was making sure this boy doesn’t try anything, not that she’s jealous or anything. 

“Oh, that’s really cool” Shuhua said as she munched on her food and looked up to the boy, which had Soojin’s annoyed expression turn into disgust as she had to endure this kid’s heart eyes to Shuhua. "What about the sound effects?" 

Soojin was glad their focus wasn't on her otherwise it would be hard to explain her eye twitch as his hands held Shuhua's and guided it to the other buttons; She hated Shuhua for turning her into this jealous person, she was never like that before. She shared all of her toys as a kid, she was never the possessive type at all, it was always the opposite; But there was just something about the taiwanesse that made her keep her away from anyone's reach.

Maybe it was Shuhua's flirty nature making Soojin's insecurity speak louder, But she tells herself not to worry as she was very well aware that boys aren't exactly a threat to her no matter how hard they try to be. There was no need to be insecure, That if Shuhua didn't get some crumbs on the corner of her mouth and for the older girl's horror she knew where this was going the moment she saw that boy lift his hand. 

Soojin smacked her hand on the piano keys which made the loud noise startle the both of them, and making Shuhua quickly look at her confused and worried at the same time. 

"Sorry my hand slipped" She fake smiles before checking her watch. "Shuhua, let's go. You said you're going to watch my practice today" The older stood up and took her bag with her.

"Oh! That's right." Shuhua looked at Seonho, and smiled as she pats his shoulder. "We'll finish this later, ok?"

"Yeah, Noona" Soojin tried her best to not roll her eyes as she walks next to Shuhua and interlocks their arms, almost dragging the taiwanesse away with her, meanwhile Seonho watched as the two of them walk away, not missing how Soojin licked her thumb before cleaning the corner of Shuhua's mouth with it, as for Shuhua, she didn't even flinched at the action and only said a quick 'thank you' as they exited the auditorium. 

The boy sighed in defeat.

' _ I didn't know she was already dating… _ '


	35. Chapter 35

Miyeon speed up once she saw Shuhua walking down the hallway buttoning up her school uniform with this frown on her face, probably thinking about all the things she had to do at school that day; The eldest quickly made her way to the taiwanesse and started to walk right next to her, placing her hand on her back gently which had Shuhua looking at her, her frown replaced with confusion and then back to being grumpy once she noticed Miyeon. 

"What?" 

"Can we talk?" She asked as they made their way across the students. "I know you don't have practice today so don't try to escape from me," Half of the seniors from the team had exams that afternoon so practice ended up getting canceled since they didn't have enough people to show up.

"How do you even know my schedule?"

"Minnie."

"That traitor" The younger mumbled, annoyed as she let Miyeon hold the back of her jacket and guide her to one of the empty classrooms. "Is this gonna take too long? I still have other stuff to do" She made her way to one of the chairs and sat down while Miyeon did the same, sitting right in front of her. 

"I'm going to ask this once and I want… No, I demand you to be honest with me" Shuhua kept a straight face at those words but her heart started to race like crazy at whatever those words might mean, she had a lot of secrets and sentences like that were enough to make her worried.

"You're not threatening at all" She mocked, trying to ease the odd tension that started to appear between them. "What do you want? I'm not going to buy christmas gifts for your parents with you again so don't-" 

"Are you and Soojin dating?" She asked right away, there was no need to not be direct, people were talking and Miyeon was starting to suspect something was going on between them for a while now, It was all over Soojin's face too. Honey drips from her eyes everytime she looks at Shuhua. 

"What?" It's all Shuhua could ask, there was this feeling of relief that Miyeon wasn't talking about anything that she wanted to hide but also confusion and surprise by her question. "Me and Soojin? Dating? Of course not" 

Miyeon frowned. 

"...That's not how it looks like"

"What do you mean?" 

Miyeon stood up, and Shuhua looked up confused yet again. 

"Why are you acting like that with her then?" The older girl asked, starting to feel annoyed. "If you two are not dating then what's with all the flirting-"

"It's nothing serious, it's just a joke-"

"Don't joke like that with Soojin" Shuhua quickly shut up once she heard her stern tone. Most of the time Miyeon's silliness always kept Shuhua from actually respecting the fact that she's older. Miyeon never really tried to use that type of authority between them, since she always wanted Shuhua to see her as a loyal friend like she does with Minnie and Yuqi, until now and Shuhua doesn't know how to act. "You're leading her on"

She hated being scolded like a child but she kept her words to herself as Miyeon talked. 

"You shouldn't behave like that when you don't mean anything by it. You'll make her confused" The girl said while all Shuhua could do was look down. "Seriously…" She didn't want to be mean or too harsh with the younger but Soojin was her friend first and she couldn't just stand there and watch her walk straight into a heartbreak, especially if she can do something to avoid it. "If there's no meaning behind your words and actions then stop it" 

"Does she like me?" Shuhua then asked, with her arms crossed as she avoided looking at Miyeon who could only sigh at how oblivious the taiwanesse could be. 

"You should ask her that yourself" It wasn't her place to tell in the first place, she was just making sure her friend wouldn't get hurt by Shuhua's mixed signals. "Soojin is sweet, you shouldn't play with her like that."

"... I'm sorry, Miyeon"

"Apologize to her, not to me"

Shuhua sigh but nods, not wanting to argue any further with Miyeon.

**.**

  
  
  


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The first thing she felt when she entered the basketball court was Minnie's arms around her waist which had Shuhua automatically wrapping her arms around her shoulders for balance as the thai jumped around while going in circles, laughing like crazy. 

"This is the best day ever!" Minnie exclaims, between laughs as she spins around with Shuhua.

Shuhua laughed. "Yeah!!…" She replied, excited then she looked around in confusion. "...Why are we jumping and celebrating?" She finally asked which made Minnie stop for a second as she realized she didn't exactly explain what was going on before grabbing the younger like this. "Are you crazy?" she then finally asked, making the thai laugh before letting her go.

"My parents are coming for christmas!" 

One thing that always surprised Shuhua about Minnie was the fact she have been living alone for a while now since her parents came back to thailand to take care of family business but Minnie herself didn't wanted to leave her friends behind so she end up staying, Shuhua was surprised her parents allowed her to do that and now they're coming over on holidays to visit and the younger knows how much she has been missing them. 

"I've missed them-"

"I know" Shuhua pats her shoulder. "Hey, if they're missing you so much then they might not even care about the missing expensive vase that totally wasn't broken" She added and Minnie laughed. 

"But that also means I'll get to introduce Miyeon to them in person" They stay in silence for a second while Shuhua watches with desinteress as Minnie's eyes widen. "Oh my god they'll meet Miyeon! what if they don't like her?"

"If they have your weird taste in girls then I'm sure they'll like her" She pats the older's shoulder. "If they don't, then it doesn't matter. You like her so keep dating her" 

"That was the most supportive thing you ever said about our relationship" Minnie said and Shuhua gasps, offended.

"Excuse me? Who helped you set up a good date for your 8 months celebration and every other date?" Shuhua poked her shoulder and Minnie laughed. "I've always supported your relationship, the audacity to say I don't" She said, now laughing and Minnie nods.

"Fine, Fine… You're right!" Then Minnie crossed her arms and smirked. "Speaking of relationships…-"

"I have a bad feeling about this"

"A little bird told me you're dating someone" Minnie laughs. "I think she's a cheerleader or something"

"I'm not dating Soojin" Shuhua was direct, knowing where this is going. "We are just friends-"

"who flirt-"

"who  _ joke _ around- _ " _

"You shouldn't joke like that"

"Yeah I know!" Shuhua rolled her eyes. "Your girl came to lecture me because of it and I had to sit down and be like  _ 'yes, miyeon. sorry, miyeon. won't do it again, miyeon' _ so she'll leave me alone" She complained.

"And she's right. You shouldn't be playing with her feelings like that" Minnie said, obviously taking her girlfriend's side which made Shuhua roll her eyes. "What if someone did that to you and kept on sending you mixed signals?" The older girl asked and Shuhua only stared at her in silence considering arguing that she's more than aware about mixed signals being sent her way, but eventually decided not to.

"Yeah, Sure. whatever." Shuhua eventually said, rolling her eyes once again, getting bored of this talk. “You gotta take her side anyways”

“It’s not taking sides if she’s right” Minnie argued. “But… I’ll let you go for now, I also expect you to come meet my parents on christmas too” She then said, smiling again. “You know my mom adores you” It was true, there was just something about Shuhua that just made the whole family love her and Minnie could only blame her cuteness which she doesn't really show at school.

“I would love to" Shuhua smiles before realizing something. "But I can't… Sorry" She added with a shrug and Minnie frowned in confusion. "My father said we're going to spend christmas on a family trip"

"Yeah, We've heard that before" Minnie replied, Mr. Yeh was all about making promises about spending some time with his family, only to break them because he was so obsessed with his work and that always ended up with Shuhua in her house pretending everything was fine when it wasn't. "and then he said he forgot about it and you and your mom spend the holidays alone"

"He works hard, give him a break!" Shuhua defended him, as always and Minnie sighes. "He always does what's the best for us" 

"Your dad is obsessed with his work" Minnie then crossed her arms. "And You're walking down the same path, you just don't want to admit it"

"Ok, Let's not fight over this ok?" Shuhua then said. "I don't wanna fight with you… I'll try to show up to talk to them if that's ok?" Minnie then nods, satisfied yet not wanting their conversation to finish just yet.

"I'm sure Miyeon will be reassured if you're there with us" She then said with a smile knowing that her girlfriend would be nervous but it would be comforting to have a friend there, but then Shuhua arched an eyebrow as if she just remembered Miyeon would also be there.

"Now I don't wanna go anymore…" 

"Ah, Yeh Shuhua! Don't be mean to my girlfriend!" 

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Maybe she was behaving like the bad guy here and Miyeon was right about leading Soojin on with her  _ supposed _ mixed signals.

_ Maybe. _

Or maybe Soojin was smart and knew she was just playing around and didn't mean anything, they were friends who are trying out how their dynamic works, flirting is ok, right? She doubted that Soojin of all people would fall in love with her, especially because Shuhua knew she had her eyes on Hui for the past few months now. The taiwanesse definitely wasn't in her options of dating. 

"Today was really tiring" Soojin said as she approached the younger who was sitting on the bleachers watching her practice which had somehow become a habit that Shuhua didn't really mind following. "We're trying some new moves"

"You did great, it really was impressive!" Shuhua said, smiling at the older before her gaze drops and her smiles threaten to disappear as she quickly stood up and Soojin watched in confusion as Shuhua took off her jacket, moving near as she wrapped it around her hips, Soojin blushed as the action brought her closer to the younger. "Seriously… why are those so short-" She heard Shuhua mumbled, irritated as she looked down at her skirt, tying her jacket around it tightly. 

Soojin held Shuhua's shoulders and looked away, blushing once she noticed some of the other girls looking at their direction and giggling and she could only imagine what they were gossiping about, but that didn't seem to bother the taiwanesse at all as she was too focused on typing up the sleeves and covering up as much as she could. 

"There, It's done-" Shuhua said, still frowning and annoyed and Soojin giggled a bit even if she was still embarrassed, and then Shuhua looked up to her and Soojin could see in her eyes how she just realized how closer they are and yet she didn't move away, looking into her eyes which had Soojin feeling a chill down her spine as she couldn't bring herself to move away either despite knowing there was people looking at them, her heart beating faster as she felt the younger coming closer to her. "I-..." Shuhua started before they heard a voice.

"Soojin, are you here 'cause- oh, Shuhua!" Minnie greeted as walked in and then froze mid walk as she noticed the two of them so close to each other and so it didn't take much to realize she most likely interrupted something. Especially because Soojin was currently glaring at her, but Shuhua didn't turn to face her, not yet at least and Minnie assumed she wanted to avoid the embarrassment. 

" _ What _ " Soojin asked, not even trying to pretend Minnie had not just interrupted something she was clearly looking forward to. The Thai scratched the back of her head, timid all of sudden because of this situation. 

"Miyeon wanted to talk to you" She started. "But I can tell her you're…  _ very busy _ right now" She quickly added, hoping not to fuel the anger in Soojin, she definitely didn't wanted to be on the receiving end of her fury, if her previous fights with Shuhua was a hint then she knew she wouldn't be able to survive it; The cheerleader sighes, tired before looking up to Shuhua again and Minnie looked away, pretending she wasn’t just as embarrassed as them as she heard Soojin say something along the lines ‘’talk later’’ and mentally she was thinking about how it didn’t look like they were just talking.

Then, once Soojin had left it was when Shuhua finally turned around to look at her. Somehow she wasn’t surprised by the fact that the younger was glaring at her so she just shrugged. 

“Sorry” It’s all she could say before Shuhua loudly sighes starts to walk away, followed by Minnie right away.


	36. Chapter 36

The weeks have passed quicker than they could've expected, weather was colder than before and the streets were covered with snow so drivers had to be extra careful now, which also meant sometimes classes being cancelled due to the snow and that brings the current situation right now, One Seo Soojin in bed with her current crush, Yeh Shuhua who is sitting behind her as the cheerleader was sitting between her legs with her phone on her hands. 

They were at the Seo Household since Shuhua wanted some sense of privacity away from her mother, and Soojin's house always made her feel welcome no matter what and she enjoyed that, Mrs. Seo had a day off that day and had been nothing but kind to the taiwanesse. 

"Oh, Oh! You're in the open field" Shuhua exclaims to Soojin who looked back at her in confusion.

"That's a bad thing?" The older girl asked, looking back at the screen while Shuhua moved forward and rested her chin on her shoulder to watch properly.

"You don't have a bulletproof vest, keep crouching" She suggested and Soojin blushed once she felt the younger holding her hands to show her how. "Don't go near the gunshots"

"Right…" She started to move away while crouching. "Like this?"

"Yeah" Shuhua carressed her hair. "Good girl"

"What- Am I your dog now?" Soojin mumbled under her breath despite blushing at the praise; Shuhua didn't reply, but the older could hear her giggling behind her.

When Shuhua suggested them to play PUBG earlier, Soojin claimed it would be boring and how the game wasn't fun but right now she was on her third match and Shuhua watched with a smile at how passionate she was about the game and how frustrated she was about losing here and there, Shuhua wrapped her arms around Soojin's waist and kept on watching her play, giving tips here and there. 

"Geez, I'm glad this is muted," Shuhua said between giggles once she heard Soojin swearing because she died in the game. "I think a lot of 10 year olds would have like 20 brand new swear words added to their vocabulary" She joked, laughing harder when Soojin playfully hits her with her elbow. "Ouch, so mean-"

"This fucking-"

"Language."

"Fine! This stupid guy shown up from nowawhere" Soojin mumbled, irritated and felt Shuhua laugh again as she buried her face on her hair to cover it up. "Don't laugh at me, it's frustrating!" 

"You'll get better, don't worry" Shuhua said, hugging her tighter and Soojin looked back at her, almost flinching at how close their faces were. "What?" The younger then asked once Soojin just looked at her in silence. "Did my beauty shock you, JinJin?" She then jokes before laughing. 

' _ Yes, it did. _ ' Soojin wanted to say, but instead she leaned forward and pressed their foreheads as she looked into her eyes which made Shuhua stop laughing as she stared back and Soojin couldn't help but notice the way the younger licked her lips. 

"Soojin-'' Shuhua called, more like a whisper, and the other looked back to her eyes again, humming in response. "Do you like-'' There's a knock at the door and the girl quickly moved away from the taiwanesse, at least as most as she could because Shuhua's arms were still wrapped around her waist and if anything she was holding Soojin tighter now; The door opens and Mrs. Seo's head peeks inside the room and she smiles at the pair.

"Children, I made some snacks. Are you two hungry?" The woman asked, smiling warmly at them and Shuhua couldn't help but smile back. 

" _ Mom _ , we're not children!" Soojin mumbled, face still red from what just happened. The woman arched an eyebrow.

"So you don't want any brownies then?"

"I didn't say that" Soojin replied before they quickly got up from the bed and made their way downstairs, Soojin dragging Shuhua by the hand and if Mrs. Seo noticed them basically cuddling in bed, she didn't mention or seemed to mind.

Mrs. Seo's cooking was almost as good as Soojin's. Somehow, for Shuhua, the girl's food just tasted a lot better to her, maybe she did it different or maybe it was the knowledge that Soojin cooked for her specifically, and that pleased the rather possessive side of her but it's not one of the things she would say out loud and definitely not to Soojin, The older girl was currently sitting next to her eating her mom's brownies while Shuhua did the same, both answering questions about everyday and school life to the woman who was sitting in front of them.

"Soojin dyed her hair without permission, actually," Mrs. Seo said and Shuhua gasps before turning to the older one who was casually eating. "Her father was furious" 

"Unnie, You're such a rebel" Soojin heard Shuhua said and chuckled before playfully pushing her; Shuhua still called her unnie in front of her mom and Soojin has the feeling she likes to play the good girl role in front of others, it's how she gets what she wants and gets away with so many things.

"Dad was really happy when I dyed my hair back to black" Soojin said, remembering how wide his smile was when he saw her. 

"He really was'' Mrs. Seo laughed and Soojin watched as Shuhua smirked at her, knowing that the older had dyed her hair back to the natural color because of her and not because of her dad, and knowing that the taiwanesse was aware of it made Soojin even more shy so she just focused on eating again. "What about you, Shuhua? Never done anything to your hair?" The woman asked. "I thought kids these days went crazy with the hair dye"

Shuhua shaked her hair with wide eyes and Soojin couldn't stop herself from laughing as the younger one touched her own hair protectively. 

"I love my hair how it is" She said. "I would never ruin it with hair dye"

"Hey, are you saying my hair is ruined?" Soojin asked, putting her brownie down. 

"No, No. You're beautiful" Shuhua replied right away and Soojin blushed. "But I like mine like this," she said.

“I saw your baby pictures,” Soojin suddenly said. “You’re adorable with the bangs” She insisted.

"I'm always adorable, Unnie" Soojin thought this is it, Shuhua had enchanted the word and that's why she liked being called that by her, it was… something; Before she could say anything back they heard the door open and someone walked in.

"Oh, You're here again" They heard Soojin's sister say as she walked into the kitchen and placed her purse on the table before ruffling Soojin's hair, ignoring the younger's complaints. "Soojin must really like you, I think I see more of you here than Soyeon-" 

"Soyeon is busy being a weeb" Soojin protested. "She's still deciding if she'll marry an anime character or Yuqi" She replied and was quick to notice how Shuhua froze for a second at her comment, her eyes glancing at her mom as if watching for her reaction. 

Mrs. Seo laughed. "Soojin, don't be mean. Soyeon and her little girlfriend are adorable" the woman said, and it was clear that the comment alone was enough to ease the worry she could see in Shuhua's eyes, who was now smiling again even more relaxed than before.

' _ ah, I guess I get it now _ ' The older girl thought as she placed her hand on the other's thigh under the table, Shuhua didn't seem to mind as she just covered Soojin's hand with her own. 

Shuhua likes Soojin's room, is big and the colors go from red to white and some blues here and there, She could see her taste in every tiny detail, from the books on the shelves, the dvds and even the posters on the wall, and of course there's a picture of her parents on her bedside table and Shuhua smiled once she noticed it for the first time; There's also a stereo that Soojin told her she stole from her sister when she left for college and her room had more than enough space for her to practice dancing. 

Her room just gave a sense of freedom that Shuhua didn't had in hers; Everything there was picked by her parents, the white furniture to the bright pink walls and bedsheets her mother loved so much, she didn't own much besides a few books, her diary and her beloved Hyuna poster but it was hers and she appreciated it a lot even if Yuqi made fun of her for having the said poster in the first place; But she likes Soojin's room a lot and how 'Soojin' it felt. 

"What are you doing?" Soojin asked as she placed some books on top of her desk and then turned around to see Shuhua pointing her phone at her direction; The older had played a song on the stereo and so the taiwanesse was quick to put out her phone and smirk at Soojin. "Why are you filming?" 

"Dance for me"

"Again?" 

Shuhua nods, still smirking as she sees the way Soojin got shy; It was always entertaining how quick she was to get embarrassed at the suggestion, but still went with it and the younger smiles as she filmed as she actually liked seeing the older girl dance, she definitely felt comfortable doing it and Shuhua could tell it was something she really liked and deep down she really hoped Soojin would end up being a dancer.

“Woah-” The younger said. “You’re so sexy!” She cheered between laughs as Soojin covered her face and despite saying something along the lines of 'shut up’ and ‘you’re embarrassing me’ she kept going until the song was over. 

“You know what?” Soojin said, crawling into the bed and taking the phone from Shuhua’s phone before pushing her, ignoring her overdramatic whines. “You go dance now, I refuse to be the one who always dances”

“I don’t know how to dance,” Shuhua said and then pointed to the stereo playing the song. “and it’s a sexy song, I can’t do it”

“Just do it!” Soojin said, already zooming in with the camera and smiling while the younger sighes, not doing much besides moving her arms. “Hurry up!”

“Hold on! I’m trying” Shuhua protested before giving her best, however she didn’t feel shy not even when Soojin started to laugh, if anything that just gave her a boost to keep going and dance as silly as possible even if it didn’t match the song. “am I seducing you?” She asked, which just made Soojin laugh harder as she nods.

“Why do you dance so… round?”

“I have my own style, Seo Soojin!” Shuhua claims as she kept on randomly moving her arms around and getting more laughs out of the older girl. “If you’re going to become a dancer you gotta learn others… exotic ways of dancing”

“Oh, yeah whatever you’re doing is exotic” Soojin said. “But don’t worry, I’ll teach you how to dance one day”

“You better!” The Taiwanesse laughed before she stopped dancing and jumped back into the bed, taking back her phone right away and stopping the recording. “Oh, let’s take a picture together, we never took pictures together”

“Yes we did '' Soojin said, arching an eyebrow as she clearly remembers taking pictures with Shuhua before. “We did it last christmas” She could even remember how they had to wait until all the obnoxious girls from the cooking club finished giving their gifts to the taiwanesse so they could take a picture together, even back then Soojin thought it was annoying and right now she would rather not think too much about it.

“No-” Shuhua argued. “We took pictures with the others, we have to take a picture together to symbolize our relation-... friendship” She replied before beckoning her fingers for the older to come closer and Soojin obeyed as she rolled her eyes and pretended to be annoyed; The younger held the phone in front of them and they both smile as Shuhua took the picture and then Soojin held the phone to take one as well while Shuhua put her arm around her shoulder and winked at the camera.

Soojin thinks she’ll always look back at this day and think of it as a happy memory, even if her feelings are hidden from the other, she still felt warm and good by spending time with her and for now it was enough, She might not be the one who’s in Shuhua’s heart or the reason she always checks her phone so often, waiting for a message or a call but having her here and smiling at her was enough, she doesn’t know for how long it will be enough but for now it’s okay.

  
  


**.**

  
  


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“Wear warm clothes,” Soojin said as she parked in front of Shuhua’s house. “And don’t stand outside too much because you decided to do some of your weird, random walks” She added and Shuhua rolled her eyes before fixing her beanie. 

“What are you? My mom?” The younger one complained but was met with Soojin’s serious gaze so she rolled her eyes again. “I promise I won’t do anything that might make me sick, are you satisfied,  _ honey _ ?” She asked Soojin pushed her.

“Yeah, Yeah now leave!” She quickly said to cover up her embarrassment at the choice of words. 

“Have a nice day, Unnie and take care of yourself!” Shuhua said as she left and turned around to look down the window of the car. “Don’t wear short clothes” She added and Soojin had the feeling she didn’t mean it as only in the cold but in general.

“Yeah, Yeah-” She motions for the younger to leave.

“Goodbye!”

“Bye Bye”

Shuhua quickly made her way back home, looking back at Soojin’s car that was still parked as she watched the younger go, and as she held the doorknob she waved at the other one last time before entering home and hearing the car starting to leave; She made her way inside and saw her mother by the living room watching TV, some drama she was into nowadays.

“Mother?” She called, taking off her coat and pacing it on the couch while the woman looked up to her. “May I ask something?”

“What is it?”

“I want to cut my hair” She asked, and watched as the woman looked at her in shock by the words as she did not expect Shuhua to ever say that as she was very protective of said hair for a while now. “It’s nothing much-”

“What do you wanna do with it?” The woman asked smiling, knowing that this was certainly new coming from the girl. 

Shuhua smiles softly. “I would like some bangs again”


	37. Chapter 37

With Minnie's parents coming to spend the holidays with her that year, things have been pretty chaotic as the second eldest of the group was currently trying to make sure the house was in good conditions and leave no evidence of all the parties that had happened in the living room for the past years and so the whole group offered to help, especially Miyeon who wanted to make sure that the day she met Minnie's parents would go as smoothly as possible and without any chances of them getting upset at how the house looks like. 

"I'm nervous-" Miyeon started as she was carrying a box with stuff Minnie labelled as 'things to keep away from my brothers', Soyeon and Soojin didn't mind helping with cleaning and the two youngest were in charge of staying still and not touching anything after Yuqi almost broke another vase because she was two busy playing sword with the broom with Shuhua who was now nagging Soojin over her choice of shorts. "What if your parents don't like me?" She asked placing the box near the entrance while Minnie did the same with the one she was carrying. 

"Of course my parents will like you, Miyeon." Minnie reassured with a smile "I was nervous when I had to meet your parents and then turned out your parents loved me" 

"Miyeon's parents like anyone, that's not much of an achievement" Shuhua commented from the other side of the living room and then grunted when Soojin poked her stomach and told her to behave. "It's the truth, they're so chill that when Yuqi and I met them, Yuqi thought they were high" She claimed and Yuqi protested with a quick 'hey!' once she noticed Miyeon looking offended at her. 

According to Shuhua there was nothing that could ever upset Miyeon's parents, they were way too relaxed with life and had the aura of people who just didn't give a damn anymore and were just living their best life and several times Shuhua liked to say that Miyeon drained all of their energy after she was born and that's why they're like that, seeing her turning red and defend herself about this was always hilarious for the taiwanesse. 

"They really are… very calm," Soojin added, trying to sound more polite than the girl at her side despite Shuhua's giggle at her answer. "Like they're-"

"High, You can say it" Shuhua said as she pulled the girl closer by her waist and laughed as Soojin complained about how it's not what she meant before pushing the younger away. "Everyone here was a bit afraid of eating their brownies, we just didn't want to tell Miyeon" There's silence, especially as Miyeon looked at each one of them and gasped how they avoided eye contact, even Minnie.

Miyeon of course defended her parents, especially from Shuhua's accusations even if the youngest was only doing it to annoy her, it was clear from the way she was smiling and laughing, but thankfully Minnie and Soojin managed to keep them distracted before they kept on arguing; It was easy to change the subject once the second eldest quickly suggested they should do something about the backyard and the pool and so they quickly made their way there, there was still some mess from a party the girl had thrown a few months ago and still didn't had any will to clean up.

"How did this even get there?" Soojin asked, pointing at the pink flamingo toy hanging on top of the tree and then proceeding to try and put it down with a broom. "Your house is a mess, Minnie-Unnie" 

"I live alone, give me a break" The older one whined; Minnie and Yuqi were in charge of cleaning the pool, which was Shuhua's duty but the Chinese girl volunteered instead so Shuhua wouldn't have to stay so close to the water and so Shuhua had to wait, sitting next to Soyeon.

"Soyeon-Unnie, Hey-" Shuhua suddenly said, sitting next to the older girl and putting her arm around her shoulder.

"Hi-"

"HEY!" Yuqi said from where she stood, near the pool, watching the scene with a frown and obvious jealousy that had Soyeon chuckling. "What are you doing to my girlfriend?!"

"Pfft. Who are you trying to scare" Shuhua mocked. "Go back to work" She told her before turning to Soyeon again, and as much as Yuqi wanted to go over there and give Shuhua a piece of her mind, Minnie was scolding her for stopping cleaning and so she kept going but still glaring at the duo."So Soyeon-Unnie, how are you two going?" She then asked, turning to the older who seemed surprised by the question.

"It's fine… why?" Her expression becomes worried. "Did Yuqi say something?"

"No, No… I'm just looking out for her" Shuhua said with a smile. "We have been together for years now and I gotta repay for all the times Yuqi looked out for me"

Soyeon nods, understanding what she meant. "I know… I feel the same about Soojin" They both looked at the older's direction and watched as she was currently trying to get the flamingo down the tree with Miyeon's help while also lecturing Minnie over not cleaning more often. "I would hate it if  _ someone _ hurt her feelings." Shuhua heard Soyeon add and looked back at her. 

"I don't think anyone will hurt her" The taiwanesse replied and Soyeon nodded, it wasn't a direct reply but she understood the meaning behind it. 

"And I won't hurt Yuqi either" She claimed, reaching behind the younger and patting her back which made Shuhua smile as she nodded.

"I know" The younger replied before taking her arm from Soyeon's shoulder as she hears Yuqi calling her girlfriend over, probably still bothered by their moment just now and Shuhua watched them bickering with a smile before she sighs. 

' _ I'm scared Yuqi will hurt you instead _ ' She thought before her attention was caught by Soojin standing in front of her. 

“Tired?” She asked, as she pats the empty space next to her. “You did a good job smacking that pink flamingo down the tree, I already know who to call if I see a cat stuck on a tree” She jokes and Soojin laughed as she shakes her head.

“You’re an idiot”

"You like it" Shuhua teased, moving closer closer to the older and holding her hand, which made Soojin interlock their fingers right away before she looked up and stared at the taiwanesse. “Did you like my look for today?” She suddenly asked and watched as Soojin looked at her up and down.

"It’s pretty but-”

“What?”

“You look like a fuckboy” Soojin stated. “It’s probably the baseball cap” She then added, ignoring how offended Shuhua looks, reaching for the hat but the younger swatted her hand away which made Soojin laugh at her reaction. “What?”

“You called me a  _ fuckboy _ !” Shuhua complained. "I dressed up all nice for you and that's how you repay me?!" The older laughs loudly and ends up hugging the younger as if to 'comfort' her and that's enough for Shuhua's offended expression to turn into a smile as she hugs her back and ends up laughing as well, both unaware of their friends' knowing looks.

  
  


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**.**

“Operation: Clean house, Completed!” Minnie exclaims, as she stands in the middle of the living room while the others dramatically clap on their seats like the older had just given a big announcement.“Thank you for helping everyone,I’ll repay you guys”

“I want a car,” Shuhua said right away, which caused Yuqi to laugh before she quickly joined in.

“You know, I would love some new video games-”

“There’s this manga collection...” Soyeon started, followed by Soojin:

“Money is always nice-”

“Hey! Don’t take advantage of my girlfriend!” Miyeon said before standing up to hug the other “Plus if she’s going to give any gifts it’s going to be to me since i’m her girlfriend”

“Not fair, we met her first” Yuqi said while Shuhua agreed, nodding and going ‘yeah!’

“I’m the reason you two are together!” Shuhua said. “You should give me gifts everyday because of that, especially because ever since I made that mistake, I haven’t known peace seeing you two being lovey dovey”

Yuqi laughs. “You’re just jealous cause you can’t do it with Soojin- OUCH!” she complained when the younger kicked her, which made the others laugh while Shuhua told them to shut up as Soojin covered her face. embarrassed.

**.**

  
  


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**.**

Soojin tells herself not to blush as she holds the little note she found inside her locker or how the orange colored paper smelled like peaches as she read Shuhua’s handwriting in it telling the older to come see her after the basketball practice and who was Soojin to deny? Spending time with the girl she liked was all she wanted and she was given another excuse this time; Once she got there, there was already some students leaving, not even Minnie seemed to be around anymore and she had the feeling Shuhua kicked her out to avoid any teasing from her after what happened the day before.

She stood by the lockeroom’s door, fixing her hair and clothes, not that she wanted to impress the younger or anything but looking good wouldn’t hurt and in the past few days she noticed that Shuhua did not liked her shirt unbuttoned at all, usually she would left it unbuttoned just to see her getting whiny and quick button it up, lecturing the older about how she’s showing too much; But right now, she just wanted to see her without any bickering happening, especially because they didn’t get to see each other all day and before that note Soojin was starting to think Shuhua was avoiding her.

“Sorry, Have you waited for too long?” She heard Shuhua ask as she came out of the locker room. 

“No, I just got here-” Soojin stops mid sentence once she gets to take a proper look at the younger and her eyes immediately notice her hair, or well, her bangs. “Your hair…” She said and then quickly closed her mouth once she noticed she was just looking at her with her mouth open.

“Did you like it?” Shuhua asked, smiling as she combed the bangs back with her hands before letting it fall again and Soojin licked her lips.

“You look really pretty” She replied, reached to touch her bangs and pushed it back a little, gulping at the way the younger smirked and looked at her which had her heart racing again before the thought that Shuhua most likely had done something with her look to get her crush’s attention suddenly made its presence in her head and she looked down again, the feeling of inadequacy back in her chest, before she felt Shuhua holding her wrist and putting her hand down.

“I did it because you said I would look adorable” The taiwanesse stated, and that takes Soojin by surprise. “Do I look adorable?” She asked, stepping closer and the word ‘adorable’ is the least thing she could describe Shuhua right now so Soojin stuttered as she blushed and looked away.

“ah, what is wrong with you?” She mumbled and Shuhua chuckled before she started to walk away, pulling Soojin by her wrist until the older held her hand instead and then Shuhua looked at her with an arched eyebrow.

“You’re so clingy, Soojin” The younger teased with a smile and the older pulled her hand away, grumpy. Only to gasp when Shuhua grabbed her hand back. “I’m not complaining” It’s all she said as they walked out of the basketball court, holding hands and interlocking their fingers.


	38. Chapter 38

"Should I pick the one with the christmas tree or the one with the snowman?" Soojin asked, showing both cards to Shuhua who looked intensely at it as she tried to think hard about which one to pick. 

The days were going by fast and with exams over, thankfully all of them had passed with flying colors so they were able to relax and have time to plan for christmas time and buying cards to give to their families; The Seo family collected those holiday cards religiously and Shuhua thought it was adorable, Soojin even promised to show the collection to her one day and claimed some cards are so old they lost their original color; The Yeh didn't had those types of traditions, ever since they came to South Korea her mother stopped buying cards as her father spend less and less time with them on holidays. 

"What about the one with the mountains?" The younger suggested, picking the third card on the shelf. "Not many people buy those" She added, wrapping her arm around the older's waist and bringing her closer as a couple of boys walk past them. "I think your dad will like this one, didn't you say he wanted to go mountain hiking one day?" 

"You're right" Soojin picked the card and then looked at the one with a christmas tree "Mom will like this one tho… Are you going to buy one for your parents?" She asked the younger.

"Just to my mom-" Shuhua's arm moved from Soojin's waist to her shoulders. "You know, Winter is her favorite season" She said smiling as she picked a blue card with several snowflakes of different shapes on it. "She said it's because it's the season I was born in,”Soojin smiled at that. “You know, we only saw snow for the first time when we came to Korea”

“Really?”

Shuhua nodded and smiled. “Yeah, it was in middle school. After class when we were coming back home Yuqi and I stopped to watch the first snow and-”

“You had to see the absolute wonder in her eyes seeing it” Yuqi said, approaching the two of them with Soyeon at her side; Both pairs had come to buy holiday cards together but eventually split up because Shuhua didn’t want to be near any lovey dovey couples. “Her eyes were shining like stars and all that” The chinese added with a smile as she gesticulated in front of her own eyes and Soojin laughed as Shuhua rolled her eyes. 

"You two saw the first snow together," Soyeon started. "That means you'll stay together forever" Soojin and Soyeon both tried to contain their smiles as the younger duo stared at each other with what they know was fake disgust. 

"No way-"

"I had enough of her"

They both said at the same time, making the older pair laugh at their reaction, Soyeon kissed Yuqi's cheek between giggles and Soojin looked up to Shuhua, who looked back at her, and then looked away embarrassed for considering doing the same to the younger.

After a few days of thinking Soojin had decided to confess her feelings for Shuhua, but not right now as they're all so focused on the holidays and spending time with their families and relaxing from the break they had of school, and the play that they would have to worry about on the next month; The older had been planning how to confess her feelings to the taiwanesse for a while now, should she prepare something to say beforehand? Should she be spontaneous? A lot of questions were going on in her head, there was also the fact that she would have to make sure the younger knew that she had no expectations to have her feelings to be returned as she was more than aware that Shuhua was in love with someone else; Soojin was ready to be rejected but at least she wouldn't let this feeling suffocated any longer. 

"Miyeon-Unnie has been so nervous these days" Yuqi mentioned once they were sitting by the table at the coffee shop they had decided to stop by so they could drink something to warm up before going back to the snow outside. "I'm pretty sure she has been picking several outfits over and over again to impress Minnie's parents" She laughed.

"It's normal to be nervous," Soojin said. "She wants to make a good first impression" She said looking back at Shuhua waiting in line to order their drinks.

"Aren't Minnie's parents really rich?" Soyeon asked and Yuqi quickly nodded.

"Yeah, but they're cool. When we met them, they were really nice so there's no reason to worry, really" The chinese girl said. 

Of course, meeting your significant other's parents could be a really anxious moment, everyone wanted to make a good first impression and Soojin knew that Miyeon was the type to always try to make others like her and be as friendly and easy to approach as possible so she wasn't that surprise when the older was trying her best. 

Soyeon's parents were the cool type of parents and so of course they got along with Yuqi right away, Soyeon said they talked with each other like they are bros or something and that always had Soojin laughing; As for Yuqi's parents, after their divorce and her mother going back to China while her dad was almost as much of an workaholic as Mr. Yeh, he didn't really have the time to meet Soyeon besides a quick hi and bye. 

"Dad said that a tattoo would look cool" Soyeon commented and Yuqi sighed.

"My dad said if I got a tattoo I shouldn't even go back home" The younger whined and Soojin smiled, sympathetic. 

"I know the feeling" The older said as she pats Yuqi's shoulder. "Honestly, what's taking Shuhua so long?" Soojin wondered as the taiwanesse was taking so long to come back, looking back to the line where the girl was supposed to be, her smile vanishing once she witnessed the scene happening by the counter.

She was flirting. Soojin could tell, she wasn't imagining things, it was obvious from her smirk and the way she combed her hair back with her hands that had the girl behind the counter blushing and giggling timid, Soojin glared at them almost as if it was enough for Shuhua to look at their direction but nothing, it's like she forgot Soojin was there with her, Yuqi and Soyeon could almost see the smoke coming out of the older's ears without even looking at her expression, the way she was clenching her hands into fists was enough hint; Soyeon frowned at the sight of what Shuhua was doing while Yuqi covered her face at her friend's stupidity before cleaning her throat and trying her best to distract soojin.

"Soojin-Unnie," She called, getting the older's attention back to her. "I heard they'll have to push back the date for the play's presentation" She comments, trying her best to change the topic.

"Ah, yes. That happened, we couldn't find enough students and the school can only use so much money on a simple school play" There's this feeling that the play might be cancelled but Soojin wouldn't dare say that to Shuhua, not when she knew how hard the younger was working to make it happen because deep down she believed her dad would come to watch it. 

"I think they'll end up cancelling it," Soyeon commented. "Our principal isn't exactly very generous with money..." 

"Woah, The line was longer than I expected-" They hear Shuhua said as she comes back with their drinks, and quickly places each one of them in front of the girls before turning to Soojin. "I brought your favorite, JinJin-" She then added with a smile as she sits back next to the older who smiled softly before she remembers the scene from before and becomes serious again. 

"Thank you" It's all she says, quietly as she starts to sip on her drink and watches as Shuhua brings another topic to their conversation, their previous talk about the school play now forgotten as neither of them wanted to bring it up to the taiwanesse. 

The hours passed by quickly and after the two pairs said their goodbyes after leaving the coffee shop with Yuqi still wondering how their drinks were so cheap, Soojin had an idea of how that happened judging by Shuhua's early flirting, right now they were just walking around together with their arms interlocked, Soojin was still upset from what she saw before and Shuhua could tell but wasn't aware of what was bothering her just yet. 

"Is something bothering you?" Shuhua eventually asked as they were walking together by the sidewalk, their arms were interlocked but suddenly Soojin felt like Shuhua was so far away from her and in moments like these she reminds herself that by the end of the day there's nothing going on between them. "You're so quiet" She heard the younger one say.

It's true that Soojin wasn't the talkative type, she was usually the type to keep it to herself but was warm and liked to talk and joke a lot once she was comfortable with someone and Shuhua was used to that side of her already instead of the quiet, silent type she always saw a school.

"I'm fine, really." She said, because she was and she knows she has no business being jealous of the younger. "I think I'm just tired" She added and looked away once she noticed Shuhua looking at her, as if trying to see if she was lying but if there's something Soojin was really good at is her poker face.

"Ok…" She heard Shuhua said, but knew the younger didn't believe her but also didn't want to force an honest answer out of her; Then her cheeks felt warm Shuhua used her free hand to touch Soojin's cheek and make her stare at her again. "Just know you can talk to me… I'm a good listener" She said with a smile and Soojin nodded, still feeling shy as she felt the way Shuhua's thumb caressed her cheek before she pulled her hand away. 

"Thank you" Soojin replied and with all the courage she managed to gather, the older leaned forward and placed a kiss on the girl's cheek who looked surprised but then smiled right away after the action.

"You're welcome" Shuhua said as they kept walking with their arms interlocked and Soojin smiled as she took a deep breath, taking in the soft peach scent coming from the younger.

' _This is enough_ ' She tells herself.

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**.**

"Mom will be sad that you can't attend the dinner, she really wanted to see you" Minnie said to Shuhua who was now laying all too comfortable on the couch of her house after she stole one of Minnie's sweaters, no complaints from the older who just shrugged and said it looked better on her anyways and of course the younger agreed with her on that. "I think she wanted to see you more than me, or meet Miyeon" 

"That's just my personal charm. Parents love me" Shuhua replied. "But I'm sorry I can't go, my family won't have an opportunity like this again"

Minnie smiles and nods before she pats Shuhua's knee.

"I understand, I would probably do the same" 

Mr. Yeh managed to get a 2 weeks off due to his hard work and as a christmas gift for the entire family they would be going back to Taiwan in a few days to spend christmas and New year with Shuhuas grandparents and the rest of the family, they didn't get to do that a lot so of course the girl would picke that option over meeting Minnie's parents even if it was something she really wanted to do as they have been the kindest to her ever since she first met them. 

"Take care of Soojin while I'm gone," Shuhua said and Minnie laughed. "I'm serious, I know she'll try to use short skirts while I'm gone and she can't!" She added, grumpy. 

"When do you plan to admit that you like her?" Minnie liked, getting no answer from the younger. "I know, I know… you like someone else but you can't wait forever. You have to move on" Shuhua looked at her before looking down still not answering. "Soojin likes you, I can see it in her eyes"

"Maybe you're right...I need time to think" The younger replied and Minnie nodded, understanding. "After I'm back I'll talk to her, make things between us clear" 

“That’s good to know”

"But what if you're wrong and she doesn't like me?" Shuhua asked, suddenly feeling nervous. "Won't I ruin what we have?" She asked and Minnie held Shuhuas hands and pulled her until the younger was properly sitting on the couch, and as she put a protective arm around Shuhua's shoulder she suddenly felt like she was comforting a 16 year old Shuhua again, under the bleaches on a sunny day.

"I think, at the end of the day, it is best to say that you feel and get rejected rather than feeling suffocated because you never said anything, '' Minnie replied. "Sure, maybe we've read it wrong and Soojin doesn't like you that way, It's still better than keep on thinking 'what if she does?'. You know?" 

Shuhua nodded before she looked up and stared at Minnie. 

"If Miyeon didn't like you back, would you have still confessed to her?" The younger asked. "Do you think things would still be good between you two today?"

"I'm sure we would be fine nowadays even if she didn't like me back," Minnie replied. "Because before Miyeon was my girlfriend, she's my friend," The elder explained with a smile. "and I know she would never make me feel bad for liking her" 

Shuhua nodd as she looked down, taking her words in before she smiled.

"Yeah, that makes sense. Soojin likes me, she wouldn't make me feel bad or treat me badly" The younger said and Minnie nodded.

"That's true. You two are friends before anything, just remember that"

"I will" 

**.**

  
  


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**.**

“I’m going to miss you so much!” Miyeon managed to give Shuhua a big hug before the younger could escape from her, arms wrapped around her tightly and ignoring the other’s struggle to set herself free from her hold.

“Baby, she’s not leaving forever” Minnie laughed behind her, noticing Shuhua’s annoyed expression as she kept on trying to push Miyeon away with no success. “It’s just a few weeks, She’s not gonna live there”

“I still wish we could spend the next few days together” Soyeon commented looking at the car parked in front of the house, Yuqi was currently helping Mr. Yeh to put the luggage inside the car while Mrs. Yeh was still inside the house getting ready to leave.

"Maybe next year" It was Soojin who said this time, standing behind the girl as she looked timidly at the taiwanesse who was still trying to escape from Miyeon’s embrace; Meanwhile Minnie looked from one girl to another before walking towards her girlfriend and finally separating the two which made Shuhua sigh in relief once she had some sense of personal space. 

“Why don’t we go help Yuqi put things in the car?” The Thai suggested to her girlfriend and Soyeon and both seemed to get the hint of what the girl wanted to do and so without much complaining they went to where Yuqi was, leaving Soojin and Shuhua alone to talk in peace. 

Soojin chuckles. “They think they’re subtle” She joked as she watched the trio walk away.

Shuhua laughed and nodded. “Yeah”

“They looked at each other in silence for a few seconds before Soojin came closer and reached for the younger's beanie, fixing it and covering her ears, making Shuhua smile softly at her. 

“Take care while you’re there” Soojin mumbled. “Don’t skip meals” She fixed the younger’s scarf and Shuhua reached for the older’s jacket, closing it and fully buttoning it which made Soojin giggle at her conversative habits.

“Wait for me” Shuhua then said, It was so softly that Sojin was caught off guard as she was not used to the taiwanesse not speaking with a loud and clear voice and her cheeks started to burn as Shuhua spoke like her words were meant for only Soojin to hear. “I have… So many things to tell you when I’m back”

“Me too” Soojin replied and that gave Shuhua hope that maybe things between them wouldn’t be ruined. “I’ll wait right there” She then added holding Shuhua’s hands who squeezed her hands back. “Well, not literally here… I’ll be in my house actually”

Shuhua laughed. “You’re so silly, JinJin”

Soojin would complain but she only laughs and shrugs. “I guess I am”

Then Mrs. Yeh finally came out of the house and Shuhua quickly let go of Soojin’s hands, the older didn’t mind, She understood the the action and just quietly followed the two towards the car, hugging Minnie, Yuqi and Soyeon but only patting Miyeon’s arm despite the older’s complaining that she should be more affectionate towards her; Then when it came to Soojin, the older managed to hide her surprise when Shuhua hugged her tightly.

“You’re so clingy, Shuhua” Soojin said, playfully as she remembers the younger’s words from before and the taiwanesse laughed as she moved away.

“I guess I am” She said before looking at the others. “Don’t miss me too much” Her eyes are on Soojin again before she walks away and waves at the group. “See you guys in a few weeks” She said as she entered the car and Soojin stood there, watching the younger who was now looking at her from the closed window. 

Soojin still stood there even when Mr. Yeh started driving away and soon enough the car was far, far away, she felt embarrassed for already missing the other girl and for not paying attention to whatever the others were saying as the car drove away, but she snaps out of her thoughts when she felt an arm around her shoulders and looked at her side and saw Minnie looking at her with a smile.

“We should go now” The older said. “She’ll be back in a few weeks, It’s okay.” She then added and Soojin nodded.

“Yeah, you’re right” She replied as she smiles, she’ll be back soon enough.

and Soojin would be here waiting for her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> forgot to say it before so happy new year! ^^


	39. Chapter 39

**Taoyuan, Taiwan.**

The Yeh family house, how her father liked to call it, was older than she could remember, she knew her grandparents spent their childhood there and so did their parents so to say the house was old was an understatement, Shuhua was pretty sure the word  _ ancient _ would fit better, but they still manage to keep that place standing still, somehow.

The house obviously belonged to her father's parents, her mother just moved in once she found out she was pregnant, and they got married a few weeks later; Shuhua never known anything about her maternal grandparents as her mother 'lost contact' with them once she got with her father, it was a good lie to tell to a child but now that she's older the girl realized that her mother just didn't wanted to admit she was kicked out. 

"This place is as big as I can remember" She heard her mother say once they got out of the taxi, Her father had a big smile on his face due to finally being back home, plus being able to sleep more than 5 hours back in the airplane, Shuhua was glad that for once the dark circles under his eyes were gone and now they would be able to properly relax at home. "The house looks so different" She heard him comment as they finished taking their stuff and paid the driver for the ride. 

Her grandmother, the first one to show up by the house's front gates, had greeted her like any grandmother would, speaking softly and squeezing her cheeks as she claims her parents aren't feeding Shuhua properly and how she'll cook all of her favorite foods while also lecturing her father for almost never calling them, all in the same breath. 

"Look how thin you are!" She heard the woman say and she laughed at her worried expression; Her grandmother looked a lot like her father, and Shuhua realized that the eyes were their main traits. "Come, Come" Shuhua held her hand and let the woman guide her inside with her parents right behind talking about all the things that have changed since the last time they were there. 

**.**

  
  


**.**

  
  


**.**

Her old room was properly changed into a guest room after her family left for South Korea, the old pink room full of toys, given by her doting grandparents and uncles and aunts, was now looking like any guest room would; The bright pink colors replaced by green ones and the princess themed furniture was gone and Shuhua felt a wave of relief hit her as she finally sat on the bed and looked around before taking her phone from her backpack; She almost forgot that she had changed her wallpaper from  _ her  _ to a picture she took with Soojin a few weeks ago and she couldn't help but smile once she saw the older girl's face. 

**Shuhua:**

_ Hey. _

It didn't take more than a minute for her phone to be bombarded by the girls' messages about how her trip was and everything which made Shuhua laugh at their excitement.

**Shuhua:**

_ It's a 2 hours flight, nothing much happened. _

**Yuqi:**

_ I'm jealous! I wish we could travel to China.  _

**_Soyeon:_ **

_ Let's save money to travel next year. _

**_Yuqi:_ **

_ My love! I love how you think! _

**_Shuhua:_ **

_ Please not in front of me… it's bad enough when Minnie does it. _

**Minnie:**

_ Hey! You little rascal! _

_ Oh, btw Miyeon doesn't have her phone with her right so just know _

_ She said she already misses you, prepare yourself to be fully adopted once you're back here. _

**Shuhua:**

_ Tell your girlfriend I'm filing a restraint order against her so she has to stay away from me.  _

Of course she was happy to talk with them however she was missing a certain someone who still didn't send her any texts, not even privately; Shuhua sighs as she tells herself to not behave like a clingy girlfriend, especially because they're not even dating yet, Soojin was probably busy and couldn't answer her texts but that still didn't made her miss the girl any less; She laid in bed and kept on talking with the girls until it was time for dinner and her grandmother came to call her and so she quickly said bye to her friend before moving downstairs. 

"Shuhua grew to be really beautiful" She heard her uncle say during dinner, he laughed as he looked at her dad as if teasing him. "She must have a lot of boys fighting over her" The girl fought the urge to roll her eyes, which wouldn't make a good impression on her first night here.

"Any boyfriend yet?" Her aunt asked and Shuhua shaked her head despite deep down considering saying she had a girl waiting for her back home but she would rather not start a chaos on the family dinner even if the idea amused her; Maybe somewhere in the future when she was sure she wouldn't be kicked out. 

"My daughter doesn't care about dating! She's only focused on school" She heard her father say as she kept on eating in silence, holding back a sigh as she thought how this tastes really different compared to Soojin's food. "She has no time for boyfriends" 

But girlfriends on the other hand… Shuhua thought, amused; Part of her knew her father would pass out if he even knew about the things she already did with some girls at school, good thing all of those secrets were kept in her diary and hid away from everyone else. 

**.**

  
  


**.**

  
  


**.**

She texted Soojin privately as soon as she was in bed, the timezones between Taiwan and South Korea didn't have a big gap so she didn't had to worry about waking the other girl up, so when Soojin quickly replied, Shuhua smiled as she started a call right away.

"Hey" The younger said, getting herself comfortable in her bed.

"You're already missing me?" She heard Soojin giggle and she smiled wider even if Soojin couldn't see her. "How are you?" 

"I'm better now" Soojin didn't reply and the taiwanesse chuckled. "What? Did I embarrass you again?"

"Shut Up-" Soojin mumbled. "What are you doing right now?" 

"I'm in my new bed, getting ready to sleep" Shuhua checks the clock. "You should to, is late" 

"You're the one who called me and yet you want me to go to sleep," Soojin said. "End the call then" 

"Hm? Why?" The younger asked, turning off the lamp on her bedside table. "We don't need to end the call, we can just stay in silence and appreciate each other's presence." 

Soojin is quiet for a second. "You're making me shy again" She finally mumbled, not knowing how to react to such a  _ romantic _ sentence. 

"You don't have to be shy around me" Shuhua replied, putting the phone down near her face as she laid properly in bed. "If you want to talk then talk, if you don't then you can just lay in bed too and we can pretend we're-" She stops herself, saving those words for later and just stopping to hear the noises coming from the other side as Soojin gets ready to bed. "Just stay here with me" She asked.

"I will" Soojin's voice comes from the other side, small as always and Shuhua knows she's going against her shyness and that makes her smile. "You don't think it's weird?" The older asked.

"No, do you?"

"No."

"Then it's okay; I love your voice, it's soothing… When you talk like that" Soojin felt like her cheeks were on fire from those words and Shuhua's tone, low and slightly dragging her words, once again she was speaking only for Soojin to hear. "Do you like mine?" 

"You're always so loud" Soojin heard Shuhua chuckle on the other side. "I like it… But I'm not used to you speaking like this yet…"

"Well, I'll make sure you'll get used to it," Shuhua said. "I'm not used to being gentle but I can try it for you" She doesn't mean only her voice, but in general; Shuhua was more than aware her personality could be hard to deal with, as she was always the type to do and say whatever she wants no matter what others say and Soojin thinks she's like a fire, you'll know when she's near but putting it out isn't easy. 

And the older girl was willing to let herself get burned by it. 

"You forgot your baseball cap at Minnie's place" Soojin told her suddenly. "She gave it to me so I could return it to you"

"You mean my  _ fuckboy _ hat?"

Soojin laughed. "You really ain't letting this go, huh?" 

"Never. I'm known for being petty" The younger girl said. "But I'm glad it's safe in your hands," There's a pause. "Wear it." Shuhua suddenly said. 

"No, it smells like your hair, I don't want it to go away" The other said, despite the feeling of embarrassment. "Your hair smells like peaches... Actually, you smell like peaches"

Shuhua smiled. "You know, Taoyuan means Peach Garden so you might be onto something there" The girl joked. "... I miss you" She then said, quietly and suddenly she felt like her room was bigger and darker than it actually was now that she was able to voice how she wanted Soojin to be here.

"I miss you too" Soojin bites her lip. "Take some pictures for me" The older demnanded and Shuhua smiled.

"Of course, What else?"

"Bring me something from there, anything really" 

"Hmhm. You're very exigent; is there anything else, ma'am?" The Taiwanesse teased and Soojin stopped to think. 

"A letter. Write me one"

"A letter?... I can send you a text-"

She heard Soojin sigh and smiled, part of her still liked annoying Soojin and the older knew that but still got upset at her teasing. 

"You don't know how to be charming" The older girl said, and Shuhua could tell she was probably rolling her eyes. 

"hmm. I'm charming with my actions, I'll show it to you once I'm back" Soojin blushed at the words. “Are you sleepy?”

“A bit” Soojin confessed and then chuckled. “But I don’t want to end the call yet”

“I already said we don’t have to… just sleep, I’ll stay by your side” Shuhua said. “Go ahead, sleep”

“Fine…” She tried to sound as grumpy as possible but that only made Shuhua smile as she felt her own eyes start to become heavy. “Goodnight”

  
  
“Goodnight JinJin”

There’s silence before she hears Soojin speaking again.

“Goodnight Shushu”

Shuhua thinks she’ll only have good dreams after that.


	40. Chapter 40

**Seoul, South Korea.**

Soojin liked to think she was a logical person and that her feelings had little influence on the things she does, that was the case until of course she had met Shuhua; The girl managed to make her do impulsive things, being it fueled by anger but also because she's so hopelessly in love with her to the point that the cold winds of winter felt even colder now that she was away, suddenly she missed the feeling of walking down the streets with her arms locked around the younger's arm.

Like right now, as she walked around the store picking ingredients for the dinner she would cook to eat all by herself since her parents would spend all night away and her sister would just stay at her boyfriend’s place; She knew if Shuhua was there she would nag her about buying snacks instead of actual food, and probably would convince Soojin of doing that; She also knew that the younger would make sure to walk her home like the protective person she is.

Just thinking about her now makes Soojin smile before she touches the baseball cap that the younger had left behind, she didn’t want her smell to go away but also knew Shuhua wanted her to wear it, and she found some comfort knowing that when Shuhua is back she would enjoy her smell up close again; She looked at the shelf as she decides what to buy only to have an idea and quickly pick her phone from her pocket and quickly send Shuhua a text.

**_Soojin:_ **

_ Hey, It’s me _

_ I need your help _

**_ShuShu:_ **

_ Something happened!? I can beat up someone for you if you need! Just give me a name _

**_Soojin:_ **

_ No silly, It’s nothing about that. _

Soojin kept herself from laughing at the younger’s reaction before she took her phone and pointed the camera towards the shelf to take a picture just to send it to Shuhua.

**_Soojin:_ **

_ What should I cook for dinner? _

**_ShuShu:_ **

_ Seaweed Soup! _

**_Soojin:_ **

_ Sweetie, You’re so obvious… _

**_Shushu:_ **

_ and what’s wrong with that? also, buy it quickly! so you can go home early; I don’t want you on the streets at night without me there to protect you. _

**_Soojin:_ **

_ My white  _ _ knight in shining armour _

**_Shushu:_ **

_ Always _

_ I know you like it _

**_Soojin:_ **

_ I’ll be going now, I’ll text you once I’m home. _

As much she would complain about Shuhua’s choice of food, she knew she would end up cooking it either way, and then sending her pictures because from what she had texted her before, she missed her cooking and knowing that made the older happier than she thought she would be at those words.

"Soojin?" She turned around once she heard her name being called, noticing the boy standing behind her, holding his own plastic bags as he smiled politely. "Hi, I didn't know you also bought your groceries here"

A few months ago, The sight of Hui would make Soojin blush and stumble on her words as she couldn't even be able to properly look at him in the eyes without feeling embarrassed, but right now she felt nothing as she looked at him; She still thought he was still handsome with a beautiful smile, she wasn't blind, but all her mind could think it was how it was nowhere similar to Shuhua's. 

"Oppa, Hello" She greeted. "It's been a while" He chuckles as he nodded.

"It 's true. School really took a lot of my time. By the way I heard Shuhua went back to Taiwan. Is it true?" He asked, tilting his head to the side, curious. 

"Yes, she did. She'll be back next year" Soojin replied, trying her best to not look so sad, telling herself to just be patient and wait for the younger.

Hui sighes. "That's a pity, but maybe we can hang out next year" He suggested, remaining positive and Soojin smiled at that; Then Hui looked around before looking at Soojin again. "Did you come alone?" 

"Yes, why?"

"It's a bit late. I should walk you home" He paused for a second, wondering if his tone was too demanding. "If you don't mind of course"

At first she didn't want to accept, there was no need to but she also knew it would make Shuhua feel better if she just accepted it because it was the safer option. 

"I don't mind" The girl replied and Hui nods with a small smile. "I just need to finish this" 

"Alright"

Hui was a cool guy, Soojin thought as they walked side by side on the sidewalk, both of them carrying their own plastic bags, listen well and never tries to talk over her and when she doesn't reply he doesn't insist on getting an answer and just moves to the next topic to fill the silence; It was comfortable, she thinks that if she didn't have feelings for Shuhua, she would've made a good choice if she decided to act on her past feelings for the boy. He was cool. 

"You know, Soojin" He started and then laughed a bit, and she could tell he seemed embarrassed. "Until now I thought you disliked me" 

That surprised her, especially because it was the opposite until a few months ago. 

"Why?" She couldn't help her curiosity.

"I don't know, I guess it just seemed like you always avoided talking to me" He said. "and when I was around you barely looked at me" He chuckles a bit. "and I really wanted to be friends since you're friends with Shuhua"

She has no plans on admitting it was because she used to have a crush on him and never knew how to react when he was around, and how the reason she was so comfortable now is due the fact she was interested in someone else. 

"Sorry about that, I'm just shy" She replied, taking the safer route.

He nodded. "I understand" He smiled again. "I'm glad Shuhua managed to change that a bit," He added as they crossed the street together. "You two are good friends" 

The choice of words made her chuckle but she didn't correct him, at least not right now. 

"Yes, we are." She decided to agree; Then they stop in front of her house and Hui sighes.

"There, safe and sound" He joked. 

"Thank you" She said. "And I'm sorry for making you think I disliked you"

"That 's ok! Misunderstandings happen. It's fine" The boy replied before he gasped as if he remembered something. "Speaking of which, May I come here tomorrow? I have something to talk about with you and-" He checked his watch. "We can't do it right now" 

"Of course, You can come here" She said with a nod, feeling curious about whatever the boy wanted to talk to her.

"See you tomorrow then, Bye bye" He waved at her as he walked and Soojin waved back before making her way to her house. 

  
  


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**Taoyuan, Taiwan.**

Shuhua stood outside the house taking a few pictures to send to Soojin after the older had insisted on pictures before and so there she was now, taking pictures of the peach trees and some selfies as Soojin had to admire her as well and not only the scenario; There was also this letter that the girl wanted and the younger was working on it but had the feeling Soojin wouldn't read said letter so soon, she was exactly the type to express her feelings that well; When she got her diary, it was her way to pour out her frustrations since there was nobody at home that she could talk to and she couldn't always talk to Yuqi and Minnie about… certain things, so diary it was even if Yuqi said that talking about her feelings to another person wouldn’t hurt.

Turning her feelings into words wasn’t her thing. She tried; It was uncomfortable and she could feel her hands trembling and all the korean she had learned in the past few years suddenly vanishing everytime she tried to, so she avoided that most of the time. 

But now her Soojin wanted a letter and it wouldn't be good to deny such a simple request from her, she had started to work on it the night before while on a call with the older who was talking about her day and reassuring Shuhua that she made her way back home safe and sound and that made the younger feel better, she doesn’t care if anyone might think she’s paranoid or overprotective, she took care of those she cared about.

"Don't stand outside for too long sweetheart," She heard her grandmother say from the front door. "It 's cold!" 

"Don't worry, I'll be going inside in a second" Shuhua reassured and the woman nodded before making her way back inside and let the younger take more pictures; Sure it was cold but the streets had no sign of snow so Shuhua didn't really worry about that even if she could imagine Soojin trying to pull her back inside by the ear as she lectured her about taking care of herself and not staying outside in the cold.

She focused her camera towards one of the trees. 

" _ Don't come back late! _ "

" _ I won't! _ " 

The voices caught her attention and she put her phone down for a second before looking to her side, the house in front of theirs and saw the young girl, sure she was around her age, kissing her mother's cheek before running to the front gate of her house and Shuhua smiled to herself once she noticed the long, silky black hair that she liked so much as a child, and the 7 year old in her still daydreamed about brushing it, which automatically made Shuhua smile as she kept on watching the girl coming out of her house, their eyes met for a second and the taiwanesse wondered if that girl remembered her because she sent a quick wave at her direction which she quickly waved back before she watched her go to who she assumed was her boyfriend, walking away holding hands with him.

Shuhua chuckles to herself before returning her attention to her pictures, wondering which one Soojin would like the most while also thinking about how she should finish the letter she promised soon enough, but there was no hurry for that.

Soojin was waiting for her, and that’s all she needed.


	41. Chapter 41

"What are you doing right now?" Shuhua asked, working on the letter for Soojin in one of the pages of her diary, but still focusing on whatever Soojin was doing or saying on the other side of their call. "That's a lot of noises"

"Right now? Getting ready to go to bed, I'm putting on my pajamas" The older replied and Shuhua took a second to process that sentence.

"Oh…" She paused for a second. "If I knew you're getting changed I would've made a video call instead-"

"Ah!!, Don't be a pervert!" Soojin complained, glad that the other wouldn't see how red she became and the younger laughed as she wrote a new sentence on the paper before she decided it was enough for the night and put it aside. "It's been a long and tiring day"

"You said you didn't do anything all day today," Shuhua replied, frowning as she stared at the ceiling.

"I didn't… But it was still tiring" Soojin replied, quickly getting into bed and covering herself. "Now what did you do today?"

"We walked around the city, trying to get used to all the changes, and so much really has changed. We had to use a map" Shuhua said. "By the way I've met my first love again, she still lives in front of our house. Isn't that cool?" She laughed. Part of her expected for that family to move out years ago but turned out she was wrong, maybe The Yeh isn't the only family who was way too attached to an old building.

"Is she pretty?" Soojin suddenly asked and Shuhua hummed, answering without thinking.

"Yes-" Then she realized what she just said. "I mean!-  _ No! _ … I didn't notice." 

“Mhm.” Soojin mumbles. "You didn't notice that she was pretty, But you think it is cool that she still lives there?"

Shuhua could hear thousands of alarms ring inside her head warning her that she just stepped into an unknown and dangerous territory: Jealousy; She should choose her following words with care if she didn't want Soojin to misunderstand the situation and be mad at her. 

"I mean, It's cool because I thought they would be gone by now-"

"So you're happy you saw her again?"

She saw this situation before, a few months ago a girl from the volleyball team thought that the love note she received in her locker, from someone that was part of the basketball team, was actually from Minnie and thought she actually had a chance with her despite everyone knowing that Minnie wasn't available; No need to say Miyeon wasn't that happy about the situation and would constantly question Minnie about why said girl would think the note was from her of all people along other types of interrogations.

Back then, Shuhua took the blame and claimed the note was hers, which ended up being a win-win situation, She helped Minnie escape the situation and by the end of the day she ended up tasting that girl's watermelon gloss all afternoon inside the janitor's closet. Hopefully Soojin would never hear about this story either.

And as she remembers Miyeon's crossed arms as she intensely stared at Minnie, questioning her, Shuhua had to admit it was probably one of the few times she was a bit intimidated by the older girl and she wasn't even the one being questioned; Soojin was doing the same thing right now and suddenly she felt bad for mocking Minnie for being scared back then. 

"It was.. surprising seeing her that's all" The younger replied, hoping she would accept the answer. "Are you jealous?" She decided to ask before she could stop herself, despite knowing the answer.

"No"

Shuhua giggled. 

"Shut Up, I'm not jealous"

"Ok, Ok. You're not jealous" She decided to change the topic before she got Soojin more upset. "How are things with the others?" 

"Well, Soyeon wants to get a couple tattoos with Yuqi" Soojin said, remembering the other talking about it. "Yuqi is against it, she doesn't want to get kicked out of home"

"Yeah, I can see that, just know that she almost got grounded for dying her hair" The taiwanesse decided to bring it up since it was Soojin's influence who made Yuqi do it in the first place. "The things she does for love" She dramatically sighed and that makes Soojin laugh. "And how is Mimin? Still annoying? I hope Miyeon is taking care of Minnie'' 

"They are doing fine. Lovey Dovey as ever, They just had dinner with Minnie's parents earlier" Soojin said. "Miyeon was so nervous she locked herself in the bathroom and called me for help" The older laughed and Shuhua did the same trying to picture that. 

"You still have to meet my father," Shuhua said, smiling. "I'm sure you two will get along" 

Soojin agrees, but deep down thinks she's not going to meet Shuhua's father anytime soon, not when the man was so obsessed with his job to remember he had promised Shuhua he would come meet her new 'friend'; She doesn't know if she should feel bad that there was so much hope in Shuhua's voice when she talked about it or just change the subject but thankfully the younger did it for her.

"I took some pictures for you by the way"

"Really?" 

"Yeah, I'll send it to you later" Then she looked at the clock on the wall and smiled, It was still 11 pm but she knew that it was midnight for Soojin. "Hey, JinJin"

"Hm?"

"Merry Christmas"

Soojin smiled, glad that Shuhua was the first one to say it to her. 

"Merry-"

"It's not christmas here yet, you have to wait until it's like 1 am for you." Shuhua interrupted and then heard Soojin giggle from the other side.

"Well, then I'll stay up until it's Christmas for you too" Soojin replied, turning on the lamp on her bedside table. "But you gotta keep me awake somehow" 

"Oh, I have ways to keep you awake”

  
  


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**.**

"They really liked her, I'm so happy!" Minnie said on the other side of the phone while Shuhua hummed, paying more attention to the mugs in front of her. "Yeh Shuhua! Are you paying attention?!" She asked, noticing the lack of response from the other. 

"Yes, I am. You're ranting about your parents liking Miyeon" The younger replied, of course she was paying attention but she was also browsing this website to buy stuff for herself for her birthday since she knew she wouldn't be getting anything she liked from her parents and those themed mugs are cool. 

"Miyeon learned how to say a few words in thai, it was so adorable!" The older said as she sigh dreamily. "I didn't think she would actually learn from the times I taught her!"

"Mhmm" ' _ Maybe I should teach Soojin some mandarim too _ ' Shuhua thought as she smiled at the sigh of a mug with a red fox wearing a christmas hat, that made her think back to 2 years ago, when Soojin still had her red hair, wearing a christmas hat and smiling warmly and how she gave her hot chocolate to make sure she wasn't cold; It was back on the christmas event the school was organizing to raise money for charity, back when they weren't at each other's throats. 

"Mom said she was really beautiful"

"Yeah…"

"What?" Minnie asked, surprised by that response.

"What?" Shuhua asked, then remembering she was still on the call. "Who are we talking about again?"

"Miyeon"

"Oh, yeah. That, I forgot-"

"You said you were paying attention!" Minnie accused and Shuhua sigh. "It's your brain filled with Seo Soojin now?" 

"Leave me alone" The younger whined. "I'm just busy doing grown up stuff!" She said as she confirmed her purchase of the donut themed flip flops. "You wouldn't understand!"

"Hey, I'm older than you-  _ oh! _ " She heard Minnie said as she got a notification on her computer, smiling as she realized it was a picture from her Soojin. "Is that your hat?" Minnie asked, amused, as she was also staring at the picture Soojin had just posted.

Shuhua couldn't care less about the baseball cap. 

Not when in the picture with Soojin, standing right beside her with a hand on her shoulder stood Hui of all people, Both smiling at the camera way too comfortable for her liking and she could already feel her ears turning red from anger; Minnie must have noticed her sudden silence and lack of her reaction to Soojin wearing her hat. 

"Hey-" The older called, getting no answer from the younger. "That doesn't mean anything you know? They're just hanging out"

"Why is she hanging out with this dumbass?!" 

"Woah! I thought you two were friends?" Minnie asked, she remembered very clearly how they always got along really well and how Hui was most likely one of the few boys at school that Shuhua interacted with by her own will. 

"Not if he doesn't keep his hands away from her" Shuhua mumbled, staring at the screen like she could separate them with her gaze alone. "She told me she didn't do anything all day yesterday, why would she lie?" 

"Maybe she just forgot," Minnie replied, doing her best to do some damage control. "You're acting like she's having an affair. Maybe they just meet up and took a picture"

"Mhm. I'll go talk to her"

"No, I'll do it"

"Why?" 

"Because you're angry and I know you're going to say something that might hurt Soojin’s feelings and she's a sensitive girl" Minnie argued and as much as Shuhua wanted to say that she wouldn't do that, she knew that once she talked with Soojin her feelings would do the talk, not her logical side.

"Fine!" She mumbled, annoyed. "She better have a good reason"

"Look at you" Minnie decided to tease her a bit. "Not even dating and already this jealous"

"Shut up!" Shuhua said. "I'm stress shopping in your name"

"Wait, Hold on a minute!" 

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**.**

‘ _ Stupid snow _ ’ Soojin thought as she stomps in front of her house to get rid of the snow all over her clothes, She has basically ran all the way home so she could at least call Shuhua and talk to her while she cooked something since the knew the younger liked her cooking even if she couldn’t eat it right now; Plus it was christmas and she wanted to spend some time with her before she had to share Shuhua’s attention with her family; Today was gonna be another christmas to spend alone but at this point she didn’t care anymore, especially cause now she has someone to talk to. 

“Soojin!”

“Huh?” She turned around and almost laughed once she noticed Minnie running on the sidewalk before making her way to her direction, covered up head to toe with a thick coat and the mask covering her mouth, and of course the adorable beanie with cat ears on top that Yuqi had given to her last year and that she wore to this day. “Minnie-Unnie, What is it?” She asked, confused by the older showing up all of sudden.

“I came to talk to you” The older said, climbing up the staircase and stopping in front of Soojin. “Can I come in?”

She hesitated for a second, not because she didn’t appreciated the older coming to visit her, but because she expected some alone time with Shuhua; But Soojin wasn’t the type of person who knew how to say no to others either so she just nodded before taking her keys from her pocket and talking in, followed by Minnie.

“What is it about? Do you need help to buy something for Miyeon again?” The younger asked casually as she took off her coat and Minnie did the same, both placing it on the hanger before removing their shoes. 

“Actually, I wanted to talk to you about Shuhua”

“About Shuhua?” The younger asked, surprised as they walked in and went straight to the kitchen where Soojin sat by the table and Minnie did the same. “What is it about?”

“I’m going to be direct,” Minnie started. “She didn't like you taking pictures… well, hanging out with Hui" The older said. "Actually she was really upset"

"Oh…" It's all Soojin said, looking down and Minnie bites her lip, worried she might make the other sad and like she did something wrong.

"Does Shuhua have a reason to worry about you two hanging out?" She asked.

"Of course not, I don't feel anything about him anymore" Minnie knew she was being sincere, she was there watching how Hui faded away from Soojin's mind as her eyes, and heart, focused on Shuhua only. 

"Okay, I believe you" The older than said. "But why didn't you tell her you went out with him?" 

"Well…"

**.**

  
  


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**.**

  
  


' _ Soojin better kiss the floor I walk if she wants me to forgive her lies _ ' Shuhua thought as she was dressing up in her room so she could go downstairs and endure a family dinner before they opened their gifts; The girl was currently sulking about what happened earlier, all she could think about was that stupid picture and Hui's  _ audacity _ to touch her Soojin like that. ' _ She thinks I'll just do what she wants?! _ '

Her phone rang and Shuhua almost flew across the room to grab it. 

"Soojin!" She said once she picked it up. 

"No, It's me," Minnie said and Shuhua grunts, frustrated. "Woah, at least pretend to be happy you're talking to me"

"What do you want?"

"Just wanted to say what I already said before," Minnie said. "You're worrying for nothing. I talked with Soojin and she confirmed what I told you before, they just meet up and took a picture now stop throwing a tantrum"

"Are you sure?"

"Would I lie to you?" Minnie asked and then frowned. "Ok, Yes. I did it before about the 5 seconds rule being true but-" There's sounds of struggle on the other side and muffled bickering before she realized someone had taken the phone from Minnie. 

"Hey" The voice said from the other side and Shuhua gulped.

"Soojin-" She said, ignoring the sounds of Minnie protesting in the back. "...Hi"

"First, when you have a problem talk to me first, don't send Minnie to resolve your problems for you" Shuhua shrinks on the bed at the sudden lecture even if she didn't told minnie to do it "Second, I'm sorry I didn't told you, I didn't think you would mind"

"I'm sorry too, I shouldn't have assumed the worst." Shuhua managed to say, her previous anger now turned into embarrassment. 

"That's ok. we can do better" Soojin said before glancing at Minnie and gesturing for the older to leave and give them some privacity which had the other rolling her eyes playfully before she moved to another room. "Once you're done with the whole family gathering, you'll call me right?"

"Of course" Shuhua replied, smiling to herself, feeling a lot better now that any issue was out of the way.

"I'll be waiting for you then" Soojin said, suddenly feeling shy again. 

"With your cherry pajamas?" The younger teased knowing the older knew what she meant and then chuckled when she heard Soojin whine, embarrassed, from the other side.

"Shut up!"

Shuhua laughed. "Cute!" It's all she said, feeling how her heart was starting to beat faster; She can't wait to go back home. 


	42. Chapter 42

"I don't have the patience to be a mother," Soojin laughed as she heard Shuhua talk as she was chopping mushrooms for dinner, with the previous issues out of the day they manage to have some time to each other once Shuhua was able to escape family gathering for a few seconds to call Soojin. "I swear to god if they call me again just to show off the coins their father gave them-"

According to Shuhua her cousins are demoniac, that alone was enough to make Soojin burst into laughing as she could hear their voices in the background going  _ 'Shuhua! Shuhua!' _ over and over until they got the Taiwanesse's attention; The twin girls, according to Shuhua herself, were like Yuqi and Miyeon had children and that was the result: loud, full of energy and lots of love to give to their adorable cousin. 

"Maybe they just missed you" Soojin replied, trying to defend the girls despite the younger's complaints.

"They are nine!" Shuhua said. "They couldn't miss me because they weren't even born when I left," She added. 

Soojin was about to reply but then she heard the two high pitched voices in the back again and started to giggle despite not knowing what they're saying, but she could hear them calling Shuhua's name again and how tired the other girl sounded. 

" _ I'm on the phone with a friend. Don't speak too loud! _ " She lectured and both girls covered their mouth so Shuhua could keep her conversation. "Sorry, they wanted to show me their new toys" She told Soojin. 

"What did they get?" The older asked, with genuine curiosity; She did want to know more about Shuhua's family. 

"Huh…" She turned to both girls. " _ My...Friend… Want to know what you two got? _ " Those words were enough to make the pair energetic again as they opened the box to show it off to Shuhua, all while Soojin heard from the other side, smiling at their excitement. "They got an oven toy and… I dunno, some cleaning toys too? Who thinks a broom is a toy?" Shuhua mumbled. "Tell me about your expectations of their future, Uncle" Shuhua added, more to herself than to Soojin, as she rolled her eyes.

It wasn't needed to be a genius to realize how traditional Shuhua's family was, from both sides even if her mother had no contact with her parents anymore; Sometimes it made her worry about their reaction if…  _ When _ they find out about them, as much as she would keep it a secret for as long as Shuhua wants, Soojin also knows that no secret can be kept forever and one day Shuhua's parents will find out about it, whether they like it or not; Most of the time it was a thought that stayed in the back of her head, forgotten. But then there are times, like right now, that made her realize that it was something they would need to talk about sooner or later. 

"You should buy them actual gifts," Soojin suggested.

Shuhua turned to the kids again and once again spoke with them in her mother tongue and Soojin giggled at how she was basically their translator right now, The girls must have liked her suggestion because they started to cheer loudly before Shuhua quickly shushed them. 

"I'm guessing they liked the idea?" 

"Of course they did," Shuhua said. "Children are the reason capitalism works so well, just buy them a toy for their silence" 

Soojin laughed. "You're so dramatic" 

"I'm a theater kid, Soojin'' Shuhua said. "A future actress" She added.

"I like that confidence"

"I know you do," Shuhua laughed. "We talk before bed, remember?" 

"Shut Up" Soojin said."I hope you're not saying that in front of the kids"

"They don't understand Korean, It's fine" She turned to the kids. " _ My friend is saying she likes christmas a lot _ " She said before turning her attention to Soojin again. "How are your christmas?" 

"Well, I'll spend it alone as always," Soojin said. "Holidays usually means hospitals are always full so my parents won't be able to come" She added. "My sister is kind enough to not bring her boyfriend over and make me third wheel for them"

"I wish I was there with you" Shuhua said, almost like a whisper and Soojin smiled; She liked when she spoke like that. "Did you miss me?"

"I did" The older replied, smiling. "Anyways, I hope I'm not stealing you from your family too much"

"Tsk. I wish you were" Shuhua said, before glancing at the others; Her father and her uncle were either bickering or arguing with each other, at this point she couldn't tell the difference while her mother was probably somewhere in the kitchen. "Do you know how many times I was asked about my boyfriend?" Shuhua complained before Soojin heard the girls calling her again, wanting to be part of the conversation one more time which had the older girl smiling as she listened to Shuhua bickering with two kids.

"What are they saying?"

"They asked me if my friend was pretty" Shuhua replied, looking at the two girls who were now bothering her father after the taiwanesse managed to send them away. "I said you're really pretty"

Soojin blushed. "Sweet Talker. You say that to every girl"

"Sometimes-  _ I mean.  _ Not anymore. You're the only one" Shuhua quickly said, hopefully not digging her own grave after they just made up. "I've rejected my player ways a long time ago" Okay, maybe that wasn't the whole truth, it wasn't  _ that  _ long ago, But she was planning to. She even blocked the number of the girls she was texting before since she had no plans in keeping in touch with them now that she had intentions of having something serious with her Soojin.

"You better" Soojin replied, there's playfulness in her tone but Shuhua knew she was serious. "I'm not one to be played with like that"

"Yes, Ma'am!" Shuhua replied. "I only see you"

  
  


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"Oh, She got upset?" Hui asked as he walked side by side with Soojin across the mall; They were hanging out again that day. "Why?" The boy asked in confusion; She had briefly mentioned to him about how Shuhua didn't like the picture they took or how they hung out together, but now he questioned why she would react like that, Soojin wondered if she should tell him about it.

"Ah, She's a very jealous friend" Soojin decided to say, She would rather play safe. "I think she thought you were trying to steal me from her" She added, it was the truth but probably not in the way Hui thought it was, So the boy laughed like it was funny.

"Ah, I get it," He said, smiling and Soojin laughed as well, knowing that in fact he didn't understand what she actually meant. "She's a lot like Yuqi, She used to be very jealous of Shuhua when they first arrived" He mentioned, vaguely remembering how the Chinese girl glared at him when he first talked to them. "I think she also didn't want anybody to steal her friend."

Soojin nodded. It was true, the both of them were for sure the most jealous of their group, Yuqi had always been scared that highschool meant they would no longer be close to each other and Shuhua would find new friends and forget about her, but obviously that never happened; As for Soojin, she would be lying if she said it didn't pleased her how Shuhua's jealous side mostly only came out when it comes to her.

But it wasn't like Soojin wasn't just as jealous; Especially when the person she wanted to date was so popular with the girls in their school, Soojin had the feeling that she would eventually have to put them in their place if she wants some peace of mind. 

"What about that place?" She heard Hui ask as he pointed at the clothing store ahead. "Should we try that one?" He suggested and Soojin nodded with a smile. 

"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea" She replied before they made their way there. 

**.**

  
  


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**.**

"Of course I got upset!" Yuqi said and Shuhua laughed as she focused on her screen, she was currently playing PUBG with the chinese girl who was ranting about an unfortunate moment she had with Soyeon early that day. "He was hitting on Soyeon, I'm not stupid. I saw it" She added, usually they would just speak in mandarim with each other but it was safer for the both of them to use Korean right now. "He even asked her number!" 

"The audacity, You should teach him a lesson" Shuhua replied, mostly mocking the other but knowing full well she would have the same reaction as Yuqi. "Break the windows of his car or something. Assert dominance"

"Soyeon didn't let me," Yuqi confessed and Shuhua laughed. 

“At least I don’t have to worry about that kind of stuff” Shuhua said, smiling proudly knowing Soojin wasn’t going to make her worry about that; Yuqi chuckles in the background.   
  
“Didn’t she post a picture with Hui just a few days ago?” The older one asked, and Shuhua sighs not wanting to remember that, of course she believed Soojin when she said nothing was going on and that she didn’t have to worry about Hui, but that doesn’t mean she didn’t get jealous of it. “They seem pretty close”

“Shut up, I’m letting someone kill you if you keep talking about this,” Shuhua said, moving her character inside the car and driving away before Yuqi could come close.

“Hey! That 's not fair!” Yuqi complained. “I was just joking, come on,” She said, running after Shuhua. “I doubt Soojin-Unnie still likes him”

“I know that,” The younger replied.

“Then why are you upset?”

“Just because I know there’s nothing going on doesn’t mean I can’t get je-... upset!” She said before looking out the window and seeing the girl from before taking out the trash, she smiled automatically. “Hey, guess who I saw”

“Your idiot uncle?”

“No. I mean… Yeah, I saw him sadly. But that’s not who I’m talking about” She said, still looking at the girl as she made her way back into her house. “Do you remember that girl I liked?”

Yuqi is silent for a second. “You have to be more specific”

Shuhua rolled her eyes. “The one before I came to Korea” She said. “You know, how I grew out my hair because of her and how you fell in love with me because of it”

“Oh my god, You’re so full of yourself” She laughed as Yuqi complained on the other side. “I just said it was pretty!” She added before sighing dramatically. “What about her?”

“She still lives in the house in front of ours,” Shuhua commented. “Isn’t that cool?” She asked, paying attention to her game again while Yuqi hums.

“Is she pretty?” Yuqi asked. 

“You shouldn’t ask that, what would Soyeon think? '' Shuhua jokes. “But seriously, Soojin made the same question, what’s with it?”

“If she asked it then it’s because you gave her a reason to think that she might have competition” Yuqi replied. “Does she have competition?”

“Of course not, Can’t I think a girl is pretty?” She asked, rolling her eyes. “Plus, we’re talking about someone who I liked when I was seven, come on. It’s hardly something to worry about”

“Still, You’re not seven anymore.”

“Yuqi, I literally never talked to her before. My biggest dream was to brush her hair” The younger replied. “Maybe hold her hand!”

“Holding hands? Woah, Scandalous” The chinese girl said before she laughed. Shuhua rolled her eyes before she heard a text notification coming from her phone, so she quickly grabbed it once she saw Soojin’s name. "What 's up?”

“A text from Soojin, hold up” The girl said before opening up her text and almost choking on her own spit once she noticed the pictures the girl had sent her.

“What? What 's wrong?” Yuqi asked, worried about her friend’s reaction who was now trying not to collapse at the clothes Soojin was currently wearing in those pictures she sent her; She could tell Soojin was inside a fitting room so that means she was out shopping but doesn’t explain why she’s picking such revealing clothes all of sudden, the Soojin she has in her mind is shy and reserved. 

**_JinJin <3:_ ** **_  
_ ** _ Which one should I pick? :) _   
  
‘ _ What is she acting all innocent and cute for? _ ’ The younger thought with her phone almost touching her nose as she stared at the screen, glad nobody could see how red she became; If Yuqi was trying to talk to her right now her mind decided to mute her in her head; The past few days she tells herself she can handle her annoying relatives if she tells herself that Soojin is waiting for her back home.

But right now she’s sure that Soojin herself might kill her if she keeps on doing this unprovoked and out of nowhere.


	43. Chapter 43

"I want to be a singer, that's my plan for the future" Hui commented as he drank his soda, they took a break to talk with each other while enjoying their drinks; Shopping was more tiring than she expected so she decided to blame the cold. "But my parents aren't really supportive of that, so I might need a backup plan" He added and Soojin nodded, understanding. 

"At first I wanted to be a doctor like my parents, But I really liked dance and I'm considering doing it for a career" She smiled. "Shuhua said I'm a good dancer" 

Hui chuckled. "If she said that then I'm sure it's true; She tends to be…" She watched as he tried to think of a polite way to put it. "Brutally honest?" He suggested. "So I don't think she would lie to you"

"How did you and Shuhua meet by the way?" Soojin suddenly asked, feeling curious and Hui took another sip of his soda. 

"We used to be in the cooking club together," He replied and Soojin was surprised as she didn't think Hui would like that. "I entered because I want to learn how to bake cookies for my sister," He laughed, embarrassed. 

Soojin smiled. "That's cute"

He shrugged. "I like kids'' he then tapped his chin as he came back to the Shuhua topic. "Oh, Back then she needed a lot of help with the ingredients so I would help her" He replied but Soojin felt like his answer was somewhat vague.

As for Hui, he believed Shuhua herself wouldn't like him going around telling about how he found her on the cooking club after classes on the verge of tears because she couldn't understand some of the words in the recipe; She was so prideful, she didn't liked others seeing her sad and back then he pretended to believe when she said her eyes were red from allergies and not from tears; He helped her with some words and he gave her his mom's cheesecake recipe since she wanted one for Yuqi's birthday and in exchange she told him how she baked the cookies she was planning to give to Minnie. 

So they became somewhat friends in a way, cooking buddies as one would call it, despite the "anti-boys" barrier that Yuqi and Minnie had going on when it came to their younger friend. 

"I know the girls from there liked her a lot," Soojin mentioned and Hui laughed.

"Oh they  _ adored _ her; I don't know what it is, the girls just would always stay around her even if she didn't need any help" He always thought it was funny how much attention she could get just from acting cute, he was pretty sure the others boys from the club, the ones who entered thinking they would get a girlfriend out of it somehow, were all jealous of her. "I get the feeling some of them still want to date her" 

The comment was enough to make Soojin clench her hand under the table. 

"Really?"

"Yeah, Like take Hyewon for example" He started, oblivious to how Soojin's smile vanished and she had now a blank expression. "She's so extroverted and bold, but just let her stay next to Shuhua and she gets all shy" He laughed as he remembered the girl's struggle to talk to Shuhua. "She can't even look into her eyes properly"

For Hui they were just talking about the girls that liked Shuhua; For Soojin this was a hit list forming inside her head. 

Now her mind decided to remember her how Shuhua's all alone in another country with her first love living right in front of her house and how she's so beautiful; She tells herself she shouldn't feel insecure about this, it was just a girl Shuhua liked when she was a child, and yet her heart was aching at the thought of Shuhua deciding another girl just fits her taste better. 

The thought is stuck inside her head all the way back home until Hui snapped her out of her thoughts with a question.

"Soojin" He called. "Can I ask you something?"

"What is it?"

"You like Shuhua, right?"

She should feel surprised by the question but she isn't, yet she doesn't give a true answer.

"We're friends." She said instead, wasn't a yes but wasn't a no either; It just informed their current status right now. 

Hui Smiled.

"Right" It's all he said. "Well, I'll be coming back tomorrow if you don't mind" he waved her goodbye and she did the same before going back home. 

  
  


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**.**

The Christmas spirit went by fast and soon enough they're all looking forward for the new year celebrations, which just meant eating and spending  _ even more time  _ with the family, and Shuhua knew she wasn't going to have any peace once her cousins put their eyes on her, and more specifically on her hair which they're mesmerized by; The amount of hours she had to sit still and let them play hairdresser with her hair was annoying and she even had to endure her uncles laughing and her aunts taking pictures that she would make sure would never be seen by anyone, definitely not Soojin, what would she think if she saw her goddess future girlfriend wearing pigtails  _ and _ braids at the same time? Her image would be ruined. 

Speaking of image, The taiwanesse was still recovering from the pictures Soojin had sent her a few days ago, The image she had of Soojin in her head was… shy and reserved so seeing those pictures was a mix of her getting flustered, lecturing Soojin over not using those clothes in public, while also complimenting her all at the same time; It was too many feelings to handle; She knew the older was out shopping with Hui, and how they are hanging out now and despite feeling the burning jealousy inside her chest she decided not to talk anything bad about it, Soojin was still her own person and she wouldn’t try to control who she talks and hangs out with. It 's fine; If Soojin said she had no feelings for him anymore, then what can she do besides believe her?

As she finished getting dressed so she could go downstairs her mind started to realize how this trip is also teaching her the meaning of trust, which wasn’t something she gave so willingly, But she was giving Soojin a chance and so far the older gave her no reasons to doubt her.

As she made her way downstairs she could hear muffled voices coming from the kitchen and realized it was her parents talking, in korean, which meant it was something the rest of the family wasn’t supposed to hear. Ah the perks of being multilingual; But as she approached she frowned as it seemed that they were arguing over something, only to stop when mother noticed her by the doorframe.

“am I interrupting?”

“No” She heard her father say. “We’re just… talking about something”

‘ _ More like arguing _ ’ Shuhua wanted to say but decided to stay quiet, if they wanted to talk about it with her then they would do it eventually. At least she hoped they would. 

“Have you wished Yuqi a good new year yet?” Her father asked, now changing the topic; A talent that runs in the family it seems and Shuhua only shakes her head in response. “Why not?”

“She won’t pick up her phone, She’s probably busy hanging out with Soyeon” The girl replied, finally walking into the kitchen and sitting by the table casually. 

“This Soyeon girl again?” Her mother asked, frowning. “They’re always together, Yuqi will never find a boyfriend like that” She added with a sigh and before Shuhua could say anything her father spoke again.

“She shouldn’t be dating right now, she’s a child.” Shuhua wants to laugh, he always had the same reaction when dating was brought up, still thinking the girls were just kids and always too young to find someone. “She can find a boyfriend once school is over, and after finding a good job!”

With the Song’s divorce followed by Yuqi’s mom going back to China and her father always so busy at work, It was natural that the Yeh had always been acting like her parents so Shuhua wasn’t surprised that her father was always very worried about their school progress and their future careers; He wasn’t always around but she knew he cared, even if the others said otherwise. That was enough for her.

  
  


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**.**

“You’re hiding?” Soojin asked on the phone as she laughed at how Shuhua was currently whispering on the phone. “Why?”

“My cousins wanted to play hairdresser with me”

“But that’s adorable-”

“They have actual scissors!” Shuhua exclaimed. “I’m not letting them near my precious hair,” she added. “It was bad enough when they did weird hairstyles with it”

“Oh, I can’t wait to see that” Soojin laughed. “You better have pictures”

“As if you’re seeing any of those” Shuhua replied and Soojin only laughed harder at her reaction. “I have an image to preserve, I have to look beautiful”

“You’re always beautiful,” Soojin said. 

“Aww stop it,” Shuhua said and then chuckles. “Just kidding, keep going. I love compliments” Soojin chuckles as well.

“You’re such an idiot,” Soojin said. “But is the truth, you’re really beautiful and it’s pretty annoying going out with you, ya know?” She added which made the younger frown in confusion.

“What? why?” She asked. “I thought we had fun on our dates”

“We did, but it’s still annoying how everyone is always looking at you” Soojin replied. “I don’t like it”

“Dating a pretty girl is hard,” Shuhua replied, playfully. Soojin considers saying that she was serious, but eventually decided not to; There was no point in bringing that up right now when they’re having a good time and no matter how much people were always looking at her and admiring her looks.

Shuhua promised she only had eyes for her, and that was enough.


	44. Chapter 44

"Shuhua is okay with you going out with Hui just like that?" Miyeon asked as she was laying on Soojin's bed and watching the younger walking around organizing her room for when Shuhua was back in a week. The whole scene was cute for Miyeon, who hoped they would be very happy if they decided to date each other.

"Of course she's not okay with it," Soojin said, rolling her eyes. "I can see in her eyes how she looks like she wants to behead Hui for existing near me, But she doesn't say anything because we trust each other" Soojin said with a satisfied nod. "She's proving to be very mature"

"I'm surprised," Miyeon said. "Yuqi and Minnie always said that she was the possessive type, you know, like those kids who try to bite your hand off when you touch their toys" Soojin laughed at the comparison. "When we ran into one of my exes once, Minnie was sulky all day long and I barely spoke with the guy and even informed she was my girlfriend right away" Miyeon added with a heavy sigh and Soojin giggled. 

Shuhua and Minnie definitely were in the opposite ends of the jealousy spectrum, while Minnie was sulky and grumpy, Shuhua was angry and will let you know what's bothering and part of Soojin is glad that jealousy is the type of feeling Shuhua was so bad at hiding despite her great acting skills; It made things feel real. 

"But tell me are you two going to date for real?" Miyeon asked. "Just so you know, Shuhua might not like it but she's my baby and I have to warn you to take care of her" 

Soojin rolled her eyes. "I don't think Shuhua will like knowing you're going around calling her your baby" 

"But she's so cute, like a baby! and don't change the subject, are you guys going to date or not?"

"We're getting to know each other more but… I have plans on having something serious, once she's back" Soojin blushed as she sat on the bed. "If she wants"

"I think she does," Miyeon smiled. "I think her supposed dislike towards you was just repressed love" Soojin giggled at that.

"I doubt it"

"But think how cute it is to say that to our future kids about how we met our loves at the same time in the same place" Miyeon sighed dreamily as she laid back on the bed and Soojin frowned.

"Future kids?! We're not even dating yet and you're already picturing my children with Shuhua?" 

"I like to think ahead"

Soojin laughed. "You're ridiculous, also technically we didn't meet them at the same time or same place, I've met Shuhua before you met Minnie" 

"Yeah, but it was in my party when we all became closer"

"No, you and minnie, yuqi and soyeon got close; I remember trying to speak with Shuhua but-" She frowns trying to remember that day, The younger was sulking somewhere drinking from a soda bottle and glared at Soojin once she saw her. "She was really irritated and I'm pretty sure she already disliked me back then"

Miyeon blinked for a second. "Minnie said Shuhua wanted to confess to the girl she liked back then, she was probably rejected" She sigh, not wanting to think how sad the kid must have felt seeing everyone having a good time after getting rejected by the person she liked. "Honestly, I don't think what I would do if Minnie had rejected me" 

"I think Minnie rejecting you would be impossible, she always had a crush on you" Soojin said. "Every time you walked by she would look at you like you're her whole world"

Miyeon giggles like a kid and Soojin smiled. 

"I have to confess that, until I've meet Shuhua and by consequence Minnie, I never really noticed them before"

"Yeah, Shuhua told me how Minnie used her to get closer to you"

The older one looks offended. "It wasn't like that!" She quickly said. 

"Didn't you two talk at the party because of Shuhua?" Soojin asked. "I remember clearly seeing her drag you away."

"She did, she likes to pretend she hates us" Miyeon smiled. "But she introduced us to each other, like we never met before" Miyeon giggled. "and then said have fun! too"

"Oh, I'm bringing that up to her," Soojin laughed. "Next time she complains about you two being lovey dovey"

"She'll probably deny it," Miyeon said. “But I remember it as clear as day”

  
  


**xxx**

_ There’s people in her living room that she never saw before and for a moment Miyeon regrets not making sure who her classmates could invite to her party, thankfully there was no alcohol since some of the people there aren’t old enough plus she didn’t want her house filled with drunk people destroying everything; She looked at the side and laughed at how Soojin looked at every thing with the biggest ‘I want to go home’ expression as she take a sip of her drink, standing near the wall before looking at her as if asking for help, which only made the older laugh. _

_ She quickly approached the younger. “Having a hard time?” _

_ “I’m not a party person, you know that,” Soojin said, looking around. “I don’t even know half of these people” _

_ “If you want you can go to my room” Miyeon offered, being alone in the sea of people wasn’t in her plans but she would rather not have Soojin uncomfortable until she was able to drive her back home. “The room is locked but you know where to find the key” Soojin looked at her with pure relief on her face and Miyeon laughed as she watched the younger leave right away. _

_ All the rooms were locked so none of the horny teenagers had any funny ideas, especially in her house, so the most Miyeon had to worry about was someone breaking a vase by accident or something like that. _

_ "Miyeon-Unnie,” The girl turned around and saw the foreign girl she had invited before, Shuhua was her name, with her cute little dress that made her look like a doll. "There's someone who really wants to talk to you" Shuhua grabbed her hand before waiting for her answer, which took Miyeon by surprise as she let the girl take her away, wondering who this person she was talking about might be.  _

_ Then she saw her; Minnie was standing near the staircases with a deep blush on her cheeks as she looked at Miyeon, not knowing how to act around the older girl who looked at Shuhua who let go of her hand once they were standing in front of each other and then moved to stand next to Minnie, and Miyeon noticed as the younger's hand reached behind the older and gave her an 'encouragement tap' on the back.  _

_ "M-Miyeon-Unnie, Hi" Miyeon smiled at the way she stuttered, she didn't know their future basketball team's captain could be so shy and cute. "You… Look pretty today" _

_ Miyeon blushed before looking down into her own drink. "Thank you… Y-You too"  _

_ "Well, I'll leave you to it" She heard Shuhua suddenly say, playfully. "Have fun" She taps Minnie's shoulder before walking away, vanishing in the crowd.  _

**xxx**

  
  


"You gotta appreciate her matchmaker skills," Soojin said from the bathroom. "She barely spoke up back then and still managed to get you two together"

"Yeah, but now she's very popular with the girls," Miyeon said. "How does it feel?"

"I would rather not think about that" Miyeon laughed at that reaction. "I might fight someone if any of them tries anything funny," Soojin sighes. "Yeah definitely shouldn't think about this when she's on another country" 

"Can't be that bad, also you just said you two trust each other"

"We do but sometimes, I just overthink" Soojin complained, coming out of her bathroom again. “and it’s harder when she’s so far away”

“Alright, Alright. Since I’m the one who made you think all that, what if we go out together” She paused as she picked up her phone. “Actually, all of us. That way you won’t be worrying about whatever Shuhua is doing”

“Fine, yeah. You’re right” Soojin agreed while the older texted their friends.

  
  


**.**

  
  


**.**

  
  


**.**

  
  


“Shuhua texted you?” Soojin asked Yuqi who just nodded before opening her mouth and letting Soyeon feed her which made Soojin regret going out with two couples, at least when Shuhua was here they could argue with each other to pass time. “She won’t pick up my calls”

“That’s normal,” Yuqi said. “On holidays, the Yeh have a “no phones” rule, especially on new year celebration; She was only allowed to send me a happy new year wish” 

“I’m surprised they didn’t invite you to go with that,” Minnie said. 

Yuqi sighes. “My dad would never let me go to Taiwan,” She said. “Plus, I had fun spending time with Soyeon’s parents. They’re cool and I know Shuhua’s mom would nag me about finding a boyfriend or something”

“Speaking of ‘boyfriend’-” Miyeon started.

“I’m pretty sure all of us have girlfriends in this group,” Soyeon interrupted. “Soojin’s just isn’t official yet”

“What I mean is-” Miyeon continued. “I know Shuhua doesn’t mind but you shouldn't let Hui come see you all the time”

“You’ve been meeting Hui?” Yuqi asked, frowning right away and Soojin quickly held her hands up, not wanting to be on Yuqi’s bad side of all people over something she might misunderstand. 

“It is not like that-”

“It better not be”

“All I’m saying is” Miyeon started again. “You might give Hui the wrong idea, what if he thinks you’re giving him a chance?” She asked, worried that the boy might think that Soojin is letting him see her because she wants something to happen between them and the last thing she wanted right now for both Soojin and Shuhua was avoidable drama; Meanwhile Soojin looked at Minnie, who was more focused on eating her fruit salad, as if asking for help and the thai looked at her without understand for a few seconds before realizing the situation.

“You guys shouldn’t worry about Hui” She finally said. “I doubt he has any interest in Soojin, he just wants to be friends” She added and Miyeon frowns. “But Miyeon is right, you two shouldn’t hang out that much, it might give  _ Shuhua  _ the wrong idea”

“Fine, I get it. Now stop looking at me like I just commited a crime” Soojin complained but still thankful Minnie took her side. 

  
  


**.**

  
  


**.**

  
  


**.**

"How is your first day of the year?" Soojin asked, smiling; She woke up early that morning just to greet Shuhua on the phone, her response however was a tired grunt coming from the other wise. "Rough night?"

"I have no idea" Shuhua replied, looking around in her room in confusion as everything looked so bright and hurt her eyes. "I think I might have gone overboard with drinking and before you can lecture me, I'm allowed to drink here" Shuhua said before whining and covering her eyes from the cruel sunlight coming from the window. 

"You drank that much?" Soojin asked, worried by how in pain the younger one sounded. "You should drink some tea once you get out of bed, my dad has a recipe-"

"JinJin, You're so cute"

Soojin giggles. "That's so sudden. Are you still a bit drunk?" 

"No, I just felt like saying it." Shuhua replied. "Get used to it, I do that a lot" She finally sat on the bed and looked around. "Woah, I really wanted to get rid of my clothes" She said, noticing all her clothes on the floor as she giggles.

Soojin blushed at the comment. "Don't say that while on the phone"

"Don't be shy now" Shuhua teased before standing up. "Ya! Everything is so bright" Soojin laughed at her complaining. 

"Hopefully that taught you something."

"Yes, if I drink I shouldn't sleep with the windows open"

"Shuhua!"

"Yes,  _ Honey _ " Shuhua replied, picking up her clothes to place them along her dirty laundry. "Please nag me, I like it"

"You're incorrigible" The older shakes her head. "Just drink something for your hangover, and have breakfast. I'll call in a few minutes" She said. 

"Ok, Ok. I'll do just what you said. Don't worry" Shuhua replied. "Bye bye"

"Bye Bye" Then heard some noises from the other side. "What was that?"

"Is me sending you kisses." Shuhua replied. 

"Ah, Seriously" Soojin complained. "Goodbye, I won't call you anymore"

Shuhua laughed. "We both know you will" 

After more teasing they eventually hang up and Shuhua makes her way to the bathroom to take a shower before dressing up with new clothes and going downstairs, her head hurting less thanks to the cold water; Look out the window she could see her cousins and her aunt playing in the backyard and she smiled, the kids are still demoniac in her concept, it's the only word she could define anything that reminds her of both yuqi and miyeon, but in moments like this she reminds that this is in fact, her home. Her actual home, with a sigh she goes downstairs, she was going to miss being here. 

"Good Morning" She managed to mumble as she walked into the kitchen, her father looked like he was also recovering from his hangover while her mother, despite looking very upset, was currently making some tea. "So I wasn't the only one who had a rough night"

"You two are so embarrassing" Mrs. Yeh mumbled and Shuhua looked at her dad who just shaked his head as if to tell her not to worry.

"Your mom is just mad because we were drunk, that's all" Mrs. Yeh wasn't a fan of drinking so they weren't that surprised by that reaction from her. "Speaking of which, I wanted to talk to you about something, which is very serious"

As any other closeted gay person, those aren't words Shuhua didn't wanted to hear so early in the morning but consdering how relaxed her father looked she decided that it wasn't something too bad, but she was already planning to find a way to put a locker on her diary  _ just in case _ .

"What is it?"

"Well, ever since we arrived your mother and I have been thinking deeply about this and" Mr. Yeh sighed. "We've decided to stay in Taiwan," He added. 

Shuhua is frozen for a second as she tries to process his words. "What?" 

"Being back here really made me wish we could just live here again like we did before, this is our home after all" The man replied and before Shuhua could protest he raised his hand. "I know what you're thinking; What about South Korea and everything we had left there?" He said while Mrs. Yeh placed a cup of tea in front of him and then in front of Shuhua before sitting next to her husband. "I've contact work and there would be no problem with me working in one of the companies in here, and there would be no language barriers anymore"

Shuhua looks down into her cup, her head hurting more than before so she quickly took a sip.

"I know you have friends and school back there and you're not a child anymore and can take care of yourself" The man said and Shuhua looked at him, trying to understand where he was going with this. "So I'm giving you a choice, do you want to stay here with us or go back to South Korea on your own?" 


	45. Chapter 45

"Soojin, let's go! we're going to get late!" Soyeon yelled from inside her car, Yuqi sitting next to her, as she pushed her sunglasses to the top of her head and watched as her friend showed up by the window. "Don't you wanna go wait for your girlfriend at the airport?" She asked which made Yuqi laugh besides her at her teasing. 

"You can go ahead, I'll finish getting ready" Soojin said, not wanting to admit she was struggling to pick an outfit that would impress the taiwanesse. "Minnie-Unnie will take me there" She added before going back inside and looking at the clothes in the bed. "Now, which one do I pick?" Her phone vibrated and she quickly picked it up.

**Hui:**

_ I'm on my way there.  _

**Soojin:**

_ Alright. Minnie-Unnie will take me.  _

As soon as she replied another text, from Minnie. 

**Minnie:**

_ Please tell me you're ready. _

**Soojin:**

_ I'm picking a pretty outfit, leave me be! _

**Minnie:**

_ Oh my god you're just like Miyeon.  _

_ Shuhua won't mind your clothes, I swear. _

_ unless you wear something too short then she might pull your ear or something _

_ Just get ready quickly! _

**Soojin:**

_ Fine! _

After lots of thinking and her sister knocking on the door telling her to hurry up already, the girl had finally picked her clothes, but thanks to the cold Shuhua wouldn't be able to appreciate the black dress with cherries on it that she thought that was cute because of her long trench coat wrapped tightly around her body but hopefully they would be able to hang out on Minnie's place later, even if she needed to insist for the younger to do that; She found Minnie inside her own car, talking to Miyeon about something but then stopping once she noticed Soojin coming out of the house with quick steps.

“Woah, I wonder if she wants to impress someone” The older joked once Soojin got into the car.

“Yeah, because Shuhua gonna look at my pink boots and think ‘woah, I have to date her’” Soojin replied as she rolled her eyes and Miyeon giggled before closing her eyes, sleepy. “Well, someone is tired” She added once she noticed Miyeon trying to nap. Minnie chuckles.

“We had a busy night, that’s all” The older said before starting to drive. “So she’s really tired, but I bet once she sees Shuhua she’ll have more than enough energy to attack her” They both laugh.

"So how are your plans for later?" Minnie eventually asked and Soojin sighs.

"I'm a bit nervous, I hope everything goes as planned" Soojin looks out the window. 

"So you're finally asking her to date you?" Soojin nodded and Minnie smiled. "That's good, you two are cute together. In a bickering old couple kind of way"

Soojin could only chuckle and shake her head. 

"Oh yeah, that reminds me," Minnie said. "As Shuhua's unofficial older sister, I have to say that if you break her heart it's my duty to  _ at least _ damage some of your property" 

"Unofficial? Also I don't plan to break her heart. Ever" 

"Yuqi is the official one, and she would probably throw a tantrum if I tried to claim to be Shuhua's older sister" They both laughed. "And thanks for being honest, I know you wouldn't hurt her"

"I only hope to make her happy," Soojin said, smiling as she thought of the younger.

"and that's enough" Minnie replied, before focusing on driving.

**.**

  
  


**.**

  
  


**.**

"Stop fussing with your clothes" Soojin heard Soyeon tell Yuqi who has been fixing her jacket for the 10th time now. "You look like the groom waiting for the bride to arrive" She joked and Yuqi gasps, offended.

"Excuse me, have you seen Soojin?" She pointed at the older who looked at them and frowned. 

"What?" 

"You look so nervous," They said before giggling. "Are you going to propose once she arrives?"

"Shut up!" Soojin said, turning red and ignoring the people in the airport sending them questioning looks. 

"Hey, You two. Stop with the nonsense" Minnie said and Soojin was glad the older was there to take her side. "We all know that Shuhua would be the one who proposes" She added with a smile and Soojin hid her face in her hands, now hating every single one of them. 

“Oh, let’s make bets on them,” Yuqi quickly said. “Team that thinks Soojin is gonna propose because Shuhua is a coward” Yuqi raised her hands, pulling Soyeon’s hand up as well.

“Team that thinks Shuhua is gonna propose because Soojin is too shy!” Minnie said, raising her hand as well as grabbing Miyeon’s hand, who was still sleeping, and raising it; The eldest of the group remained unbothered in her seat having no idea she was part of some bet. 

“Stop making bets about my love life!” Soojin said, stomping while the others laughed; Soon enough they moved to wait for Shuhua once they heard that her flight had arrived and of course, as they walked Soojin felt her hands starting to sweat and hoped that the taiwanesse wouldn't mind it if they were to hold hands. 

"Nervous?" Minnie asked and Soojin nodded. "Don't be. It's gonna be fine, I'm sure she'll say yes" She said, hoping to comfort Soojin. "Speaking of which, do your parents know about-?"

"Yes'' Soojin said and Minnie was caught off guard. "and they really like her" 

"I don't doubt it. Shuhua has a way with parents." Minnie replied. "Did you know my mom wanted me to take Shuhua with me to thailand once school days were over?" She laughed. 

"Dad said he wanted to go camping and that I should invite Shuhua too"

"See? That's what I mean, I should take some lessons from her" Minnie said.

"Miyeon's parents already like you" Soojin argued and the older shrugged.

"Just to be sure" 

Soojin's phone buzzed and she saw Hui's name on the text notifications, and quickly opened it up. Bringing her phone next to her chest ince she noticed Minnie looking which made the older frown as that action was odd and Soojin knew that she was probably sending the wrong message. 

"Sorry, this is just personal" She said right away, not wanting any wrong ideas to form inside Minnie's head regarding Hui. 

"Right…" The thai said, still feeling suspicious but deciding to focus on waiting for Shuhua instead and ignore Soojin intensely typing on her phone. 

It didn't take a long time until they saw Shuhua walking in their direction carrying her bags, yet both Minnie and Yuqi frowned once they realized the girl was alone and quickly exchanged worried looks to each other as they waited until the girl approached them. 

"Welcome back!" They all said, excited and Shuhua smiled at them before accepting hugs from all of them and of course putting up a fight when it was Miyeon's turn but eventually allowed the older to hug her that time, rolling her eyes and patting her back as she did it. Pretending to be annoyed. 

Soojin stood awkwardly on the side, suddenly all the courage she had when they were on phone calls was gone and now she was blushing at the idea of going to shuhua and holding her hands or hugging her in front of their friends, she was pretty sure her whole face and ears were red right now, but then Shuhua looked at her and smiled and without saying anything she walked towards the older, wrapping her arms around her waist and pulling her into a hug; The older automatically wrapped her arms around Shuhua’s shoulders and hugged her back, burying her face on her neck, to hide her embarrassment at the idea of the others looking at them.

But also to take in her sweet peach scent.

“I missed you” The younger murmured against her ear, and Soojin held her tighter. 

“Me too”

**.**

  
  


**.**

  
  


**.**

  
  


On their way to Minnie’s place, after Soojin’s suggestion, Shuhua explained her parent’s decisions to stay in Taiwan and how she had decided to stay in South Korea instead; So now she was having to stay on her own from now on. 

“I’ll need help to pack their stuff and send it back” Shuhua said, her voice was lower and calmer than usual and Soojin knew she was still taking it in this new reality of living on her own so she held the younger’s hand between her own, trying to give her some type of comfort. 

“We’ll have time to do that,” Minnie said as they walked into her house. “Now let’s just rest for now, Ok? You look tired. Take one of the spare rooms upstairs and stay for the night”

“Hm” The youngest hummed. “Ok” She added, before turning to Soojin, tugging on her hand as if silently asking her to come as well which the older quickly did, walking right behind her and never letting go of her hand. 

They entered the room in silence and Shuhua got ride of her jacket right away, throwing it on top of the chair in front of the desk, and Soojin did the same with her trenchcoat.

“You really need a nap” Soojin commented once the younger one sat down. “Do you want me to leave?”

Shuhua shakes her head. “No, stay and sleep with me” She said before throwing herself back on the bed and moving just enough to leave an empty space for Soojin who shyly made her way to lay next to the taiwanesse. “Are you shy?”

“A bit” she confessed and Shuhua chuckled.

“I thought we become more comfortable with each other in the past few days”

“That was on phone calls” Soojin said. “In real life it’s a bit harder” She added, her hands on her lap, to keep her dress from moving more than she intended. 

“Are you uncomfortable then? because you can leave. It’s fine”

“I’m not uncomfortable!” Shuhua smiled at the quick reaction. “I like being with you and I want to be with you… like this, I’m just not used to sharing a bed. You’re the only one I have done this before” She admitted. “I’m shy but… I’ll stay with you”

Shuhua then gently held her shoulder and pushed her so she would stay on her side and the older felt her arms around her waist and her nose brush against the back of her neck and she gulped, a stronger wave of embarrassment hitting her now.

“Your ears are all red” Shuhua commented, even if she was tired Soojin could tell the hint of playfulness in her voice. “I’m not going to do anything disrespectful, I promise”

“I know” Soojin replied, moving her hands to cover Shuhua’s, brushing it with her thumb. “I trust you” She added, under her breath and Shuhua smiled before kissing her shoulder gently.

“I like your dress by the way” The younger commented. “It’s cute,” she added, kissing her shoulder again and holding her tighter in her arms.

It didn’t take long for Soojin to realize that the other was quickly falling asleep and as soon as she noticed, she could hear her breathing softly behind her and as she looked over her shoulder the older girl smiled at how peaceful and soft Shuhua looks when sleeping, like she had no worries at all. Soojin decided she liked this Shuhua the most. 

And as she focused on the calming sound of Shuhua’s breathing, Soojin ended up falling asleep as well.


	46. Chapter 46

Soojin woke up, about an hour later, alone in the bed and Shuhua nowhere to be found and the girl sat up on the bed as she looked around confused, wondering where the other went and so she quickly stood up, rubbing her eyes as she left the room looking for Shuhua around the maze that was Minnie’s house; She never understood the size of this place despite only one person living in it but according to Minnie, before her family moved back to thailand, this house was always full. 

As she made her way downstairs, hoping Shuhua was in the kitchen stealing some snacks from there, she froze once she walked past one of the doors and heard quiet sniffing; She wasn't one eavesdrop or anything but she could hear Shuhua on the otherwise and she got worried and gently knocked on the doors before entering and saw the younger quickly rub her eyes, getting rid of any evidence of her sadness. 

"Hey, are you okay?" It was a stupid question to ask, Soojin knows but she didn't wanted to force anything. She knew Shuhua was missing her parents. 

“I’m alright, just-” Shuhua looked around. “Minnie suggested for me to move over, better than live alone” She said pointing to her clothes on the bed, she was already unpacking. 

It made sense, plus she had the feeling Minnie didn’t like living all on her own that much and having Shuhua around would make her feel better too.

“Do you need any help?” Soojin asked, moving closer to the younger who just shakes her head in silence and Soojin bites her lip, she was used to cocky shuhua and angry shuhua, as much as flirty shuhua as well but this one, sad shuhua was new to her and she wasn’t quite well used to her enough to know how to behave or comfort her. “How about you go eat something? hm?”

“I just… want to be alone” Shuhua then said and Soojin tried to ignore the way her words sting; Before she can try and insist there’s a few knocks on the door and soon enough Minnie came in, with a plastic bag full of the junk food Shuhua liked and Soojin smiled, knowing she wasn’t the only one trying to find a way to comfort the taiwanesse.

"Hey, You're awake," Minnie said, to Soojin. "Can you help Miyeon in the kitchen? She insisted on cooking something for Shuhua and as much as I love her I don't trust her all alone in there" Soojin laughed at her honesty and Shuhua smiled, still focusing on unpacking. "I'm pretty sure Yuqi wanted to help too-"

"Ah, They're gonna set the kitchen on fire," Soojin said, worried before looking back at Shuhua and then at Minnie again; She decided to just go help Miyeon instead, there was still time today and Shuhua looked very distracted so things would work as she was planning. 

Still, as she walks out the room and closes the door, catching a glimpse of how Minnie pats Shuhua’s shoulder and the younger smiled, she tries not to feel bad about how the taiwanesse would rather be comforted by someone else than her. 

Once the girl was gone, Shuhua released a heavy sigh and Minnie looked at her, worried before making her sit on the bed and sitting next to her. 

"I got you some snacks," Minnie said, lifting the bag. "Chips, Chocolate bars and some cookies too. There's watermelon juice in the freezer if you want to" Shuhua could only smile at that. Minnie was a good friend. 

Then her smile vanished as she thought back on her parents. "Do you think they'll hate me?" 

"Why would they hate you?"

"Because I would rather stay here than with them" Shuhua felt anxiety building up in her chest. "Am I a bad daughter?" She asked, to herself, as she felt her eyes burn before she quickly covered them with her hands to keep any tears from coming out, now she felt embarrassed from throwing a tantrum like a child who's away from her parents for a few hours. 

Minnie held her shoulders. "Look at me" Shuhua did, blinking as to keep the tears in. "They wouldn't let you decide if you want to come back or stay if they're going to think you're a bad child" Minnie added, she remembered feeling the same when she decided to stay here instead of going back with her parents and now she gotta comfort Shuhua as she goes through the same thing. 

“But what if-”

“Hey, You don’t have to worry about this” The older said. “You can always go visit on school break, remember?, and I’m sure they’ll always call you too. I know your mom will make sure you’re not living off chocolate cake” Minnie added, rubbing the younger’s back, hoping to lessen her worries. Which seemed to work as Shuhua smiled and nodded. "Just take deep breaths and calm down, ok?" 

and Shuhua did just that.

Meanwhile as Soojin made her way downstairs, she could hear Yuqi and Miyeon argue in the kitchen and she could only sigh and roll her eyes knowing that whatever they’re fighting about was gonna be something really silly. 

" _ You can't criticise my cooking skills! You can't even cook! _ " She heard Miyeon argue and she chuckled. 

" _ Yeah but I know what Shuhua likes _ " Yuqi talked. " _ and that's not how aunt makes it! _ " She added.

"What are you two doing?" Soojin asked, finally walking into the kitchen just in time to see them trying to grab the spoon from each other's hands with no success. "Isn't it too early to argue?"

"I was trying to make pasta, but Yuqi is bothering me," Miyeon said and the younger one looked at her offended.

"Bothering? I was telling you how to do it right!" 

"and who said you can tell anyone how to cook!?"

"I-"

"Enough!" Soojin finally said. "Shuhua just got back, you two will bother her by arguing so much." She said before finally entering the kitchen. Miyeon smiled softly.

"Look at her, all worried about her girlfriend" She teased between giggles.

"When is the wedding date?" Yuqi asked, joining in like they weren't arguing over how to cook pasta just a few seconds ago; Soojin grabbed the wooden spoon and pointed at them. 

"Don't test me, now get out so I can cook it" She finally said before going to the sink and washing her hands first. Miyeon and Yuqi were quick to protest.

"We want to help!" They insisted. "It's a special day and I'm sure Shuhua will like that we cooked for her"

"Soojin-Unnie wants to steal all of Shuhua's love from us," Yuqi said. "Starting by cooking for her" 

"Shut up," The older mumbled before turning around. "If you want to help be quiet and do what I say"

"Yes, ma'am!"

**.**

  
  


**.**

  
  


**.**

"What are they even doing?" Soyeon asked while she played video games with Shuhua while Minnie watched them, sitting in the back; The trio could hear the noises and arguing coming from downstairs and Shuhua chuckled at the sound of Soojin threatening to beat Yuqi up with the wooden spoon.

"Supposedly Miyeon and Yuqi are cooking-" Minnie started and Soyeon frowned.

"But Yuqi is a horrible cook" She said, confused by her girlfriend's sudden urge to cook something.

"Soyeon-Unnie!" Shuhua said between, trying to reprimand the older but she couldn't help laughing as she knew what she said was true. 

"It's the truth," She said. "You know, last week she wanted to make a romantic dinner and all that"

"Oh no" Minnie and Shuhua said at the same time, not liking where this was going.

"It was duck, or something like that," Soyeon shakes her head. "It was horrible, It took a lot to pretend I loved it and I'm pretty sure I almost got food poisoning" The other two laughed until Shuhua said.

"Hey, Yuqi must really like you if she tried to cook," Shuhua mentioned. "She won't even cook for herself, she lived off my mom's cooking" She added laughing until they heard more fighting coming from downstairs and then Minnie stood up.

"I better go check it out before they kill each other or worse, destroy my kitchen" The older sighes.

"It's good to know you have your priorities set straight," Soyeon mocked, and Shuhua laughed as she watched Minnie shake her head as she walked out of the room. "Now, since we're alone-" She said, looking at Shuhua who just raised her eyebrows, focusing on the screen in front of them. "As Soojin's best friend I have to tell you to take care of her. She's sensitive" 

Shuhua chuckles. "I know that." 

"But she also knows taekwondo, so don't think you can get away with hurting her" The other quickly added and Shuhua arched an eyebrow, that was a new fact that Soojin haven't told her yet. 

"I have no intentions of hurting Soojin" The younger replied, honestly and Soyeon smiled knowing that she meant it. "She's… cool"

"Cool?" Soyeon laughed at the choice of words and the other couldn't help but laugh as well. "It's all you have to say about her?"

"Well, no but-... I'm bad at expressing myself, that's all" Shuhua replied. "Soojin even asked me to write her a letter and it's embarrassing to admit that I still haven't finish it" 

"Ah, a letter. Yeah she's into that romantic stuff" Soyeon said, nodding. "Why don't you start with notes?"

"Notes?" Soyeon nodded. 

"Yeah, write cute notes and with time you'll get more comfortable to write more about how you feel" She said.

"That's a great idea! Thanks, Unnie! How did you get that idea?"

"You're welcome," Soyeon said. "and I guess i just write down about my feelings a lot so I think it might work for you too"

"ooh! you write about Yuqi then?"

"Sometimes" She saw as the older blushed. "I wrote a song for her" Shuhua gasps.

"For real? Woah!" The younger exclaimed and the other blushed even more. "Soojin better write me a song too!" She added and Soyeon laughed. "Does Yuqi know?"

Soyeon shakes her head. "No, It's not finished yet" She said. "But I hope she'll like it"

"I'm sure she will," Shuhua said. "and I hope Soojin likes my notes"

"I'm sure she will," Soyeon repeated her words and they smiled at each other before focusing on playing again. 

**.**

  
  


**.**

  
  


**.**

“Are you guys gonna stare at me?” Shuhua asked Minnie and Miyeon who were looking at her while she ate the past that Miyeon claimed she cooked but the younger knew full well it was her Soojin’s cooking. “What? Did you poison my food and wanna make sure I’ll die?” 

“Of course not” Miyeon said “But I wanna know if you liked it”

“It’s good, now stop staring. It’s making me nervous” Shuhua complained, looking down to her food and eating in silence. “Also, I know Soojin did most of the work anyways, don’t try to steal the credit from her” she stopped chewing for a second. “By the way, where is she?”

Before Miyeon could reply, Minnie did it first. “Oh she went out with Hui” 

“What.”

“She went out with Hui” Minnie repeated casually and Shuhua frowned, feeling irritation building up as she wondered why would she go hang out with him when they were supposed to spend all day together now that she was back. “I think they went to the park or something” The other added; Suddenly forgetting about her food, the younger stood up and made her way to the front door, in the meantime Minnie whined as Miyeon proceeded to slap her shoulder over and over as if to reprimand her for her words.

“Why would you tell her that?!” 

“What? It 's the truth! I had to tell her” Minnie replied before Miyeon stood up, dragging Minnie with her as they went after Shuhua, seeing Yuqi and Soyeon standing by the front door, confused as they looked at the older couple. 

“What’s going on?”

“Nothing, Shuhua is just a little upset because her girlfriend it’s out with her new friend” Minnie said, looking at Shuhua who was currently trying to find the car keys. “Hey, what are you doing?”

“Going after her”

“As you should,” Yuqi said, and Soyeon slapped her arm. “What?! I would do the same thing!”

“Talk less and help me more!” Shuhua complained and Yuqi quickly moved to help her best friend as well as Minnie, meanwhile Soyeon and Miyeon just looked at each other without knowing what to do besides making sure their girlfriends wouldn’t encourage Shuhua to do what she shouldn’t.

  
  


**.**

  
  


**.**

  
  


**.**

Shuhua was driving off the park after not finding Soojin in there, which was a relief as she would rather not have made a scene in public if she saw the girl in there with Hui of all people; She was all about trusting and believing Soojin when she said nothing was going on, but she was also someone who was currently driven by jealousy and not logic; She was currently driving alone as she didn't wanted the others to either try to talk her out of this or keep on provoking her as she knew it was something Yuqi and Minnie would do.

She quickly made her way to the older girl’s house, as time passed she felt less annoyed about the whole thing and started to cool down a bit more; It was for the best that she didn’t get angry at Soojin right after coming back; That if she didn’t see Hui making his way inside Soojin’s house while she stood outside, just casually letting him in which made Shuhua park the car right away, the sound of the wheel against the street making Soojin turn around, surprised once she saw the other.

“Shuhua?” She said, watching as the younger was angrily struggling to get rid of her seat belt which made Soojin laugh at how she looks like an angry kitten if anything. “Wha-”

“What is  _ he  _ doing there?” She asked, pointing at the house before finally setting herself free and making her way to Soojin who placed her hands on Shuhua’s shoulders to keep her from barging into the house. “I thought you were going to stay all day with me! but you would rather stay that boy and-”

“Why are you so upset?” Soojin asked, raising her eyebrows at the way Shuhua’s ears were turning red from anger. “I’m just hanging out with a friend, are you mad?” She chuckled a bit and Shuhua frowed.

“Of course I’m mad, You’re my girlfriend!” Shuhua said right away, not registering her words meanwhile Soojin looked at her with wide eyes at that affirmation. 

“Your what?”

“My girlfriend!” Shuhua repeated, starting to get even more annoyed. “and I expect you to be faithful and don’t spend too much time with him!” Soojin didn’t even mind her words, too busy trying not to smile at the younger’s words or how her jealousy was cute. “Now why is he there?-”

“Do you know what day is today?”

“I don’t give a fu-... damn about what day it is today!” She said before walking past Soojin and making her way towards the house, Soojin walked right behind her. “I’m telling him to back off otherwise I’m gonna-”

“Surprise!”

Shuhua froze once she walked in; Seeing all her friends there with smiles on their faces, the girl felt confused, even more once she spotted Hui by the door that gave access to the kitchen, he sent her a quick wave.

“Happy Birthday” She heard Soojin say behind her with a big smile on her lips while the others started to clap, she could see Yuqi and Minnie laughing as they knew beforehand what was going on. “Come on, get in” She said, gently pushing Shuhua inside. 

“Today is my birthday?” Yuqi laughed at the question as she placed the birthday hat on top of her head. 

“You were so distracted you didn’t even remember” Yuqi laughed before Shuhua slapped her hand away from her. “Hey!”

“You guys made me think Soojin was on a date with someone else!” The youngest complained.

“What?!” It was Soojin who said it, surprised. She only told them to distract Shuhua, nothing else. 

“In my defense, I didn’t know about any of this!” Miyeon was quick to say. “They only told me about it when we got in here”

“Because you can’t keep secrets!” Minnie said. “You would’ve told Shuhua the moment she looked a little sad”

“Ok, Ok!” Soojin interrupted. “Why do you guys go to the kitchen and help Hui while I talk with Shuhua?” She asked, but they all knew they didn’t have more of a choice than to obey the girl so they quickly left and once they’re gone Shuhua turned around to look at the older.

“So… was that why you two were hanging out so much?”

Soojin nodded. “A few weeks ago I ran into Hui, and he said it was a pity that you couldn’t celebrate new year with us so he suggested a birthday party to make up for it and so we have been working on that together” She said, smiling as she watched realizing finally hit the younger. “Minnie helped too once we told her”

“Oh…” Soojin laughed at her reaction. “Well, I feel stupid now… and bad for all the nasty things I called him in my mind” She added, then for her surprise Soojin grabbed her by the sides of her jacket and pulled her closer which made the younger surprised and blush right away at the sudden and bold attitude from the other. “W-what-”

“Did you mean your words earlier?” Soojin suddenly asked. “About me being your girlfriend?” Shuhua’s embarrassed face turned serious again.

“Of course I did. You are my girlfriend” The younger said. “If you want to, of course. But if you don’t then that’s your lost” Soojin laughed at the statement before she licked her lips once she felt leaning over to her, she closed her eyes right away.

“Girls, let’s go blow up the candles- oh, oops!” They heard Hui say as he walked into the room only to cover his mouth once he realized what he was interrupting. “I’m so sorry” He quickly said before making his way back into the kitchen again and Soojin laughed, especially at the way Shuhua closed her eyes as if to keep herself calm and not say anything mean to the boy, especially since he went through all the effort with her birthday party. 

“Anyways, where were we?” Shuhua asked, leaning towards Soojin who closed her eyes again, letting the younger girl finally kiss her; Shuhua’s lips are soft and Soojin smiled against them as she felt the taiwanesse hug her tight, as if wanting to show her how she felt with all her body and Soojin tried to do the same, with her hands on the back of her neck, keeping her close until they needed to breath again and so Shuhua was the first move away, smacking her lips a bit and Soojin giggled.

“Sorry” She murmured. “It’s strawberry” She mentioned, pointing at her gloss. “I know you hate it”

Shuhua smirked. “That’s true… I guess I’ll have to get rid of it then” She said, before leaning for another kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys like it :)


	47. Chapter 47

Maybe she had forgotten there was a birthday party waiting for her because she was too focused on how soft Soojin's lips are and her determination to get rid of her strawberry flavoured gloss; Or maybe it was because she had a hard time letting go of the older once she had her wrapped in her arms like she could run away any second from now; Kissing Soojin felt different than kissing the other girls, it made her heart race in her chest, her cheeks burn and her hands sweat against her body not to mention the way the other girl had her arms wrapped around her waist and keeping her just as close as Shuhua was doing, which made the younger's knees shake a little before she moved away again, just enough to take a deep breath and then kiss Soojin one more time which made the older laugh against her lips, not expecting for Shuhua to be this excited with her kisses. 

Shuhua moved away again. "God, Soojin, You're so clingy" She teased and the other smacked her shoulder.

"You're the one who won't let me breath!" Soojin accused. "I-'' Shuhua kissed her again, holding Soojin's face in her hands and pressing their lips together, smiling as the other still was trying to speak. "Seriously-'' She's interrupted by another kiss from the younger. 

"You're so cute, I could just-"

"Hey, you two" Yuqi showed up and they both looked at her, Shuhua was annoyed by another interruption while Soojin just blushed for being caught like this. She doesn't think she'll get used to being affectionate in front of the girls. "You gotta blow out the candles remember" 

"Shove those candles-"

"We're going in a sec" Soojin quickly replied, and Yuqi shakes her head before making her way inside the kitchen again. "Behave" The older then told the taiwanesse who just frowned, grumpy. "We can keep going later" She whispered against her ear. 

"I'll look forward to it then…" 

The kitchen was heavily decorated, more than Shuhua had expected; There's green and white balloons everywhere and the taiwanesse laughs when Minnie mentioned she suggested a "Shuhua’s favorite The Thrasher Green T-Shirt" themed birthday party before Soojin turned her down and just went with just green instead; She also eventually apologized to Hui for thinking he was somehow scheming to steal Soojin from her, as it turned out he just wanted to do something cool for her and befriend Soojin in the process, and the boy seemed very surprise that this is what Shuhua thought he was doing which then in the both of them apologizing to each other and Soojin trying not to laugh at the whole situation.

"You know, I don't think I ever saw this coming" Yuqi tells Shuhua once they're alone in the kitchen, both of them getting more cake for their girlfriends. The Taiwanesse look at her friend with raised eyebrows. "You and Soojin. Odd couple"

"Yuqi-"

"I'm not disapproving. Relax" The older rolled her eyes. "I'm just saying is weird seeing you too being lovey dovey after seeing her trying to shove your face into fried fries once" 

"Love works in strange ways" Shuhua replied with a shrug and Yuqi arched an eyebrow. "What?"

"Are you gonna tell her who you liked before?" The other asked. 

"Why?" The taiwanesse questions. "She doesn't have to know, it would just create unnecessary drama" 

"and leave things clean between you two, you know? no secrets"

"You're literally the last person who can say that!" Shuhua said. "Did you told Soyeon about-"

"No, I didn't." She rolled her eyes when Shuhua crossed her arms. "But I plan to, just… not right now" She added and the other sighes.

"Then don't try to tell me what to do with my girlfriend" She paused for a second. "I see what you mean before, is weird thinking I have an official girlfriend now" the comment made Yuqi laugh and the tension in the room vanish before Yuqi noticed the cake on Shuhua's plate.

"Hey! you took all the cherries!" She accused, trying to take back some only for Shuhua to bring the plate closer to her chest protectively. 

"Soojin likes cherries, back off!" The younger one said.

"Leave some for Soyeon!" Yuqi complained only for Shuhua to run out of the kitchen with her plate. "Yeh Shuhua!" She calls, annoyed before running after the younger. “Come back here!” She yelled, following her to the living room and chasing her around the couch while Soyeon and Soojin looked at them in confusion before looking at each other as if regretting their dating choices.

By the end of the day Shuhua got more gifts than she expected, and even if Miyeon was complaining she didn't have enough time to buy a proper gift, Shuhua was more than happy with the wolf slippers that the eldest got her, despite Yuqi's comment that Miyeon was encouraging Shuhua's furry tendencies.

“They’re comfortable, thank you Miyeon,” Shuhua said, looking down at her feet, Yuqi snickered. “What?” She asked, annoyed.

“You’re wearing wolf paws on your feet, it’s ridiculous”

“No, It’s cute!” Miyeon defended, both Shuhua and her gift choice. “Leave her alone!”

They kept bickering about Miyeon’s gift, well Yuqi did, even when they had moved on to other gifts; It was fun to tease the older as she would get upset easily but considering that Shuhua did liked the gift she got, she wasn’t enjoying the teasing either and was quick to shut it down, especially as she focused on the other gifts. Soyeon said Yuqi told her Shuhua wouldn’t like an anime for birthday gift so she gave her money to buy whatever she wanted, as for Minnie she bought her perfume, Yuqi got her new gloves so the taiwanesse would stop stealing hers every time her hands were cold.

Soojin gave her clothes, followed by a kiss on the cheek which had the others making gag noises, only for the taiwanesse to yell at them to leave her alone; But besides being teased for being lovey dovey with her girlfriend, a term she still had to get used to, it was nice to have everyone spoiling her all day.

  
  


**.**

  
  


**.**

  
  


**.**

They were back at school in the following week and it wasn’t need to say everyone was quite shocked seeing Seo Soojin and Yeh Shuhua of all people being lovey dovey with each other in the middle of the cafeteria for everybody to see; Some believed that the sight of their head cheerleader feeding the captain of the basketball team was just a hallucination that would be over by the end of the day, and some were worried they would no longer be able to make money out of bets regardings their usual fights. 

“You guys are disgusting,” Yuqi said, staring at them. “In a cute way, but still disgusting”

“Leave them alone, they’re a cute couple” Minnie said, and Miyeon nodded next to her while Shuhua and Soojin just ignored their comments and just paid attention to each other as Soojin fed the younger. 

Miyeon slapped Minnie's shoulder all of sudden. "Why can't you be more like Soojin?" 

Minnie frowned and whines as she chews on her food. "I can't cook… But I can feed you my pizza" She said, holding the slice in front of Miyeon who pouts but it didn't last long until she saw Minnie's cute smile and just accepted it.

"I think we're the only normal couple" Yuqi told Soyeon who nodded, also judging the other two pairs. 

"Clearly we're more mature than them," Soyeon said and Yuqi nodded before holding up her hand so they could high five. Shuhua rolled her eyes.

"You guys are so annoying"

"Us? You have been calling Soojin your honey all day" Yuqi replied, which made Soojin blush. "I didn't think you two would end up this sweet" 

"I'm a romantic person, leave me alone" Shuhua complained before turning back to Soojin, her hand resting on the older girl's back caressing it gently. Yuqi rolled her eyes, but eventually smiled.

At least Shuhua was moving on. 

**.**

  
  


**.**

  
  


**.**

Shuhua sighes, tired as she moved some boxes around the auditorium, the principal had given the noticed that they might cancel the play so her mood wasn't exactly the best right now, plus they had to make space on the stage for the auditions of the new students that would come this year so she was trying her best to clean things up on her own. 

**_Jin Jin <3:_ **

_ I just need to finish some things and I'll be there to help you in a sec. _

Shuhua smiled at the text and was quick to send a reply to the other girl, putting her phone back into her backpack before she heard the doors of the auditorium open, which made her turn around in surprise.

"Woah, I didn't think you would show up so fast-" She stopped once she realized it wasn't Soojin but a girl she never saw before. "Oh sorry, I thought it was someone else. Do you need something?"

"Hm, yes. " She spoke, shyly and Shuhua could notice her accent right away. "I heard about the theater club being open for new members, so I'm here to audition" She said, and Shuhua nodded.

"Ah, well right now no auditions are happening you might wanna come back during lunch break" She said and then smiled. "I'm Shuhua by the way, what's your name?"

"Tzuyu, I'm new here" She replied and Shuhua sat at the edge of the stage and mentioned for the girl to come closer which she did, still shy. 

"Are you foreign?" She asked. "Sorry to ask, I'm just- I'm foreign too and I noticed your accent"

"I'm from Taiwan"

"Woah, Me too!"

Her quiet and shy expression suddenly became happier than before as she smiled wider and Shuhua did the same as well, knowing that the other must feel relieved to have someone from the same country as her in the same school. 

"Really? That's amazing" Shuhua giggled at the sudden excitement in her voice, very different from how shy she sounded before. "You have been here for a while?" 

"Longer than I can remember," Shuhua replied. "What about you?"

"It's been 2 to 3 years for me" The other replied and Shuhua nodded, excited to know more about Tzuyu and focused on what she was saying. 

"My friend Yuqi is from China," Shuhua said and watched as the other frowned a bit. "Oh! Don't worry she's not- I mean… She's cool" She reassured her and Tzuyu nodded. "I'm sure you'll like her too" then she clapped her hands suddenly. "Come eat lunch with us later, I'm sure everyone will like you"

"Really?" The other asked, surprised but at the same time glad she was already able to befriend someone on her first day. She couldn't believe her luck. "They won't mind?"

"Of course not, Also when we're alone let's talk in mandarim, ok?" She held her hand up for the other to high five, laughing and how timid the girl still was. "Now, how was it being in Korea for you?" She asked, curious about her and Tzuyu sat by her side at the edge of the stage and talked about herself a bit more and Shuhua nodded as she listened closely, missing the sound of her phone buzzing inside her backpack.


	48. Chapter 48

The locker room was a living hell once practice was over, the cheerleader squad wouldn't stop questioning Soojin about her unexpected love for Shuhua, how it happened and if they have done "it" already, the last one made Soojin blush like she never done before and she felt like screaming against her own hands and hoping to get away from there soon enough, but she did answer some of their questions while Soyeon watched everything with a playful smile, enjoying the situation a bit too much; Soojin thinks she should've seen that coming the moment she walked into school with Shuhua's arm around her shoulder, kissing her cheek. 

Now she had to endure the other girls squealing over how cute they looked and something about them looking like they came straight out of an  _ Internet Novel _ , what did that mean? Soojin had no idea. 

She managed to avoid most of their embarrassing questions and mostly focused on simple things to answer like how everything happened even if Soojin herself wasn’t quite sure when she started to feel that way, she only remember realizing it one day and so having to deal with being in love with Shuhua, but when they asked her when Shuhua realized she for sure didn’t know how to answer, she didn’t know either. They never really spoke up about it.

The question did make her curious. When did Shuhua fall in love with her? was it during their times together in the auditorium? The days they went out together or was it on their phone calls late at night trying to keep each other awake; She was probably going to question her later, since right now she was trying to leave the locker room and ignore the girls trying to keep her there to ask even more embarrassing questions.

“This was way too embarrassing” She commented with Soyeon who laughed. “Why do they wanna know so many details?”

“Gossiping” The other replied. “I bet everything you said it’s gonna be known by the whole school tomorrow” Soojin groaned at the idea as she sent Shuhua another text, frowning as the younger wasn’t replying.

“Shu is not answering my texts” She said and Soyeon giggled.

“You two just started, don’t be so clingy”

“I’m not being clingy.” Soojin rolled her eyes. “I just know how she gets when she has to do stuff, she ignores everything else” She explained. “I bet she’s doing everything on her own in the auditorium instead of waiting for me to help”

Soyeon laughed. “You’re dating a workaholic. Get used to it” Soojin sighes, but knew Soyeon was right, when Shuhua put her mind on doing something it took a lot to convince her to stop or put her attention elsewhere. Hopefully it doesn't become an actual problem later on. 

"I just… need to figure out a way to make her" Soojin tries to think of a good word to use. "I don't know. Relax? Calm Down? Chill with her obsessions a bit?" 

"Relax is the best word," Soyeon said. "But right now you better worry up to get there before Shuhua decides to overwork even more”

“You’re right,” Soojin replied. “See you later” She said, waving at Soyeon before turning around the corner and making her way to the auditorium.

The hallways weren't as empty as she expected, some people were walking around either on their way to classes or to skip classes; She could never tell; Soojin knew that Shuhua's mood wasn't the greatest that day since the principal had told them about the possibility to cancel the play and just focus on the other school activities, and she also knew her girlfriend was probably plotting something to convince him otherwise she just didn't know what it was since the younger refused to tell her and just schemed on her own like some type of supervillain. 

She really is dating a theater kid. 

Once she arrived at the auditorium, she opened the door and expected a grumpy Shuhua to be moving around some boxes while complaining under her breath, something like that usually would make Soojin laughing because of how adorable the other would look when she's mad, But right now she was surprised by the sound of laughing and talking and quietly made her way inside, frowning as she noticed Shuhua sitting by the front row seat, talking excitedly with a girl she never saw before in what she assumed was Mandarim; She wasn't going to pretend it didn't bother her a little seeing her Shuhua this excited talking with another girl but she also wasn't the type to act upset because she was talking with someone else so she just decided to approach them casually.

"Shu, I'm here" She spoke up and the taiwanesse quickly turned around as well as the other girl. "Hello" She said, to the unknown girl, as she bows and watched as she did the same, shyly. 

Shuhua stood up. "Jin-ah!, Hey!" She said, coming towards her and standing by her side, with one arm around her waist before she gestured to the other sitting down. "That's Tzuyu! and Tzuyu, This is Soojin" She was quick to introduce them but Soojin would be lying if she said she wasn't disappointed at the lack of the word 'girlfriend' there.

"Hello" The other said and Soojin could tell Tzuyu was just as shy as her. 

"She's from Taiwan too, isn't that cool?" Shuhua said, and Soojin arched an eyebrow before going back to a neutral expression again.

"Yes, It is" She replied before turning to the other. "Why did you come to the auditorium?" 

"I was here for the theatre club auditions," Tzuyu replied. "Shuhua said those only happen during lunch break" She said, blushing from embarrassment. Soojin nodded. 

"It's ok. It happens" She said, trying to be polite despite the  _ tiny bit _ of jealousy in her chest telling her to show that Shuhua was her girlfriend, Just in case the other girl had any ideas, but decided to keep it to herself instead of acting like the bitchy, possessive girlfriend. 

"Speaking of lunch break," Shuhua said, and Soojin didn't miss the huge smile on her face. "Tzuyu is invited to spend lunch with us. I want her to meet Yuqi too" She added. "I'm sure you two will get along." Soojin wanted to comment that Tzuyu's shyness and Yuqi's neverending energy doesn't seem that compatible but she didn't want to ruin the mood.

"Thanks, I wasn't expecting to befriend anyone on the first day" The girl said and now Soojin felt bad for feeling jealous of a girl who just wanted to make some friends. "Also I should be going before I'm late for my next class" She said and Shuhua quickly walked up to her and stood by her side.

"Do you need help getting there?" She asked, and in any other situation Soojin would've smiled at Shuhua being so helpful and showing more of her kind side but right now she was trying her best to not glare at her. 

Tzuyu shakes her head and Soojin was relieved. 

"There's no need to" She said, smiling. Thankful that the other wanted to help. "This boy, Jackson, had shown me around earlier so I know where to go" 

Soojin made her way up to the stage while Shuhua said bye to Tzuyu who waved at her before making her way out of the auditorium. 

"Jin Jin" Shuhua called once she was on the stage as well, now the both of them are alone. "How is my honey going?"

"Fine."

Shuhua stopped on her tracks; Minnie had always told her that one word answers were never a good sign when it comes to girlfriend, it usually meant they were upset at something you did and right now the younger was trying to think of what she did that might have upset the older who was now moving some of the boxes around in complete silence. 

"Are you upset?" She decided to ask, instead of trying to guess what happened. "Did I do something?" 

Soojin wanted to say No, because she didn't think she had any valid reasons to be upset, Shuhua didn't exactly do anything wrong, She was just being helpful to another student and being excited because they were from the same country; Nothing wrong there. But she also knew that hiding how she was feeling wasn't the way to go either.

"Soojin?" She then asked, started to feel worried. 

The older mumbled something and Shuhua frowned. 

"What? I couldn't hear you"

Soojin groaned. 

"I said… I was jealous" She admitted; There's a few seconds of silence and she closed her eyes in frustration when she heard Shuhua laugh, only to quickly cover it up with coughing right away as if she would convince Soojin. 

"Jealous? No way" 

"Ah, You're so annoying" Soojin then said, turning around and pushing the Taiwanesse who finally laughed. "Seriously I can't stand you!" She said to Shuhua who grabbed her wrists and pulled her closer to her body, ignoring the other struggling to stay away from here. 

"It's not what you said when I was giving you my kisses" The other said before stealing a quick peck from the older who blushed. "I'm sorry I made you jealous" Shuhua then said and Soojin shakes her head. 

"You don't have to apologize for that," Soojin muttered. Shuhua kissed her forehead gently.

"Still. I don't want you to feel like this." Shuhua replied, She was very familiar with the feeling of jealousy and how painful that can be so she didn't want Soojin to feel like this; The Taiwanesse held Soojin's face in her hands and kissed the older who wrapped her arms around her waist, pulling her closer. 

The old auditorium wasn't exactly the most romantic place to be kissing, there was dust everywhere and air conditioner spent more time being broken than working but it was a place where their feelings, be it just liking or something deeper, blossomed so Shuhua liked the place and especifically liked being there with Soojin who somehow made all her memories here be good. 

Soojin broke the kiss to take deep breaths while the younger watched her, which had the other looking away before she kissed her again, her hand now on the back of her neck; Soojin smiled in the kiss, because Shuhua always held her like she was afraid she would escape somehow, or like she wanted to make sure she was there for real. 

"Tell your sister to not pick you up today" Shuhua said between kisses and the older looked at her, confused. "I want us to spend the rest of the day together" 

"Where are we going?"

"It's a surprise," Shuhua said and then winked, before giving her another quick kiss. "But after that you'll never feel jealous again. I'll get rid of all your doubts"

"You don't have-"

Shuhua placed her finger over her lips. "Just do what I said, Ok?" 

The older chuckled. "Fine" 

Of course, as soon as the words left her lips, Shuhua was kissing her one more time, and they kept like this, ignoring they were supposed to be cleaning, until the bell rang indicating their next classes but by judging the way that the younger didn't seemed to be inclined to stop it didn't take much for Soojin to realize they would be skipping their next class as well. 


	49. Chapter 49

**2016**

_ Shuhua held Minnie's arm tighter as they made their way across the sea of students, the younger looked nervous as it was her first christmas event at school, Only Minnie was available to stay with her but even then the taiwanesse was worried she was bothering the other girl; Minnie looked funny with her puffy green coat and beanie with reindeer horns attached to it meanwhile the taiwanesse was wearing a long black coat that had the thai chuckling because it looked far bigger than Shuhua's tiny body. No need to mention how Mrs. Yeh had decided to sew her initials inside of it just in case she lost it.  _

_ "Stop asking if I'm having fun" Minnie said one more time as she looked at Shuhua. "We're friends. Of course I'm having fun with you"  _

_ The other nodded even if she had her doubts, it was weird to think someone older than her would like being around her; They have met at the start of the year and Shuhua was still having a hard time believing someone besides Yuqi actually liked and wanted to be friends with her.  _

_ "Let's go see Yuqi" Shuhua then said and Minnie nodded as she looked around a bit and saw Yuqi in the middle of the crowd.  _

_ "Oh my god-" _

_ "What?" Shuhua asked, too small to see above the crowd. _

_ They walked a bit further, just enough for Shuhua to see Yuqi giving a polar bear plushie to a student while stuck on some ridiculous Olaf outfit. Minnie started to laugh while Shuhua covered her mouth to keep herself from bursting into laughter as well, however Minnie's laugh was enough to catch the chinese girl's attention and so once she noticed them Yuqi angrily stomped her foot on the floor. _

_ "What are you two doing here?!"  _

_ "Yuqi! Treat the customers well-" The girl behind the chinese girl warned and Yuqi groaned. _

_ "They are not customers. They are here to annoy me"  _

_ "You look so adorable," Minnie teased. "If i knew, Shuhua and I would've dressed up as Anna and Elsa" She said and Shuhua chuckled behind her hand.  _

_ "Buy something or leave" It's all Yuqi said, crossing her arms. Sadly she was stuck with helping on the christmas event instead of hanging out with Shuhua and Minnie, on the bright side it was for charity so the embarrassment of wearing this outfit was worth it in the end. _

_ "Fine, Fine-" Minnie said, reaching for her wallet inside her jacket meanwhile Shuhua just stared at her. _

_ "I didn't bring any money" _

_ "It's ok, I'll pay for you," Minnie said and before Shuhua could say anything, the older girl held her finger up. "Ah! no complaining. I'm your unnie." _

_ "Fine" Shuhua rolled her eyes and watched as Minnie bought some gloves with snowy mountain patterns for herself and one of the polar bear plushies for Shuhua. _

_ "You can even give this to that one girl you like" The older suggested, smirking and Shuhua looked at her with wide eyes as her ears started to turn pink. _

_ "Unnie!" Minnie laughed at her reaction. Meanwhile Yuqi frowned. _

_ "Shuhua, You're liking someone?" She asked and Shuhua glared at Minnie who shrugged, having no idea she didn’t tell Yuqi about it. “How come you two are already sharing secrets?” She asked in that tone that indicates that she was starting to get upset. _

_ “I was going to tell you, I just happened to tell Minnie-Unnie first,” Shuhua said, knowing Yuqi was sensitive about this kind of thing. “It’s nothing serious, really” She said before the girl behind Yuqi told her to keep doing her job and so the chinese girl just groaned before turning back and ignoring them. _

_ “Sorry, I shouldn’t have said anything,” Minnie apologized. _

_ “No, It’s not your fault.” The younger said before they walked away to the other booths, seeing what else was there for them to do. _

**_._ **

  
  
  


**_._ **

  
  
  


**_._ **

_ “I wish we were the ones in charge of the games” Soojin complained with her hands on her hips as she looked at Soyeon. “It’s way better than standing here selling hot chocolate in those ridiculous outfits”  _

_ “Listen, you cannot complain about the outfits,” Soyeon replied. “I was forced to be dressed like a reindeer and you-” _

_ They heard a whistle and Soojin rolled her eyes before turning around and seeing Minnie who was leaning over their booth with a smile. _

_ “Hey girls!” She said before looking at Soojin who walked towards her with the same bored expression of always. “Seo Soojin, you in this Mrs. Claus outfit is making me wanna end up in the naughty list” She said with a smirk while the red haired leaned over in front of Minnie as well.  _

_ "If you're in the naughty list then I shouldn't be so nice-" _

_ "Hey" Soyeon called. "This is a food booth not a flirting one," She said and Minnie laughed before Soojin pushed her away laughing as well, eyes then noticing the younger girl standing behind Minnie; She had talked with Shuhua about 5 times in the whole year, she was a really sweet and shy girl that was either following Minnie or Yuqi around, she didn't know much about her besides the fact she was a foreign and some weirdos were making fun of her accent. She might have argued with some of them because of that.  _

_ "Hi, Shuhua" It was Soyeon who said it while Soojin moved away. "Having a good time?" _

_ "Hello" The younger said quietly, standing shyly next to Minnie as she doesn't really know how to talk with other people besides them, the older was just watching her with a soft smile, as if encouraging her to keep talking. "Yes, I'm… having fun" She replied, quietly.  _

_ "Hey, Soyeon. Is… Is Miyeon gonna show up?" Minnie then asked, trying her best not to sound shy. Soojin chuckles.  _

_ "No, she's spending christmas on a family trip. Visiting relatives" It's Soojin who replies as she walks back to them with a mug of hot chocolate in her hands. "Seriously, Either flirt with her or with me" _

_ "There's enough Minnie for everyone-" _

_ "Shut up" Soojin laughed before looking at Shuhua. "Hey, here" She said, offering the hot chocolate. "No need to pay, it's a treat." She added with a gentle smile as Shuhua took the mug.  _

_ "Thanks, Seo Soojin-Unnie," Shuhua said as she bows, and Soojin smiles wider, eyes turning into crescent moons. That girl was way too cute.  _

_ "I think you're in Mrs. Claus' nice list, Shushu" Minnie said, ruffling the younger's hair. "Unlike your big mean unnie" She joked before winking at Soojin, meanwhile the younger only smiled shyly at the red haired girl who then has wide eyes once she notices something behind them. _

_ "Oh my god, what is that?" They turned around and laughed once they saw Yuqi make her way towards them, still inside her olaf costume, but without the head. "Song Yuqi, You look… I have no words" Soojin said, which made Soyeon chuckle. _

_ "You look ridiculous," Shuhua said in their mother tongue and Yuqi just glared at her, probably still upset over the whole secret thing. _

_ "The olaf outfit really brings out your charming side" Soyeon said.  _

_ "Your eyes sure stand out" Minnie added. _

_ "Shut up, all of you" She said, grumpy before turning to Soojin. "One hot chocolate, please" She mumbled and Soojin only nodded as she giggled at her outfit.  _

**_xxx_ **

**_2017_ **

_ “She did it on purpose” _

_ “I doubt it” _

_ “Of course she did”  _

_ Soyeon walked right behind Soojin as the cheerleader made her way to the parking lot, in hopes to find Shuhua before the taiwanesse went home. All of this over the sudden change of schedules and how the basketball team would be using the basketball court full time, leaving the cheerleaders to train in the open, in the soccer field; Something Soojin hated as it was uncomfortable to practice there. _

_ “She’s such a selfish dumbass!” _

_ “Soojin, calm down” The other said, worried this might result in an actual fight. “You’re too angry right now, maybe you should cool down first. No pun intended” She said, as they walk past the christmas decorations. _

_ Once they were in the parking lot, Soojin stopped and looked around hoping to find Shuhua and quickly spotting the girl talking to Minnie and laughing at something the other had said and so without hesitation she made her way towards them, Minnie’s playful expression suddenly turned into worry once she noticed the cheerleader making her way towards them looking more furious than ever.  _

_ “Hey, asshole!” She said, and Shuhua turned around, her smile suddenly vanishing and being replaced by annoyance instead. _

_ “Merry Christmas for you as well, blondie” She replied, crossing her arms before turning her attention to Minnie again and just acted like Soojin wasn’t there at all which was enough to just make her mood worse; Minnie and Soyeon exchanged looks, worried about whatever Soojin might do. Hopefully just scream at the taiwanesse like always.  _

_ “You don’t need to use the basketball court full time” Soojin said and Shuhua rolled her eyes before looking at her again. _

_ “This again? Let it go. I do what I want” The younger replied. “Go find a boyfriend or whatever you cheerleaders do” She added before turning around again. _

_ “You’re such a-” _

_ “Yeah, Yeah” The other interrupted “Just go” _

_ Soyeon quickly walked towards her friend. “Come on there’s no need to start a fight because of this and-” _

_ Before she could finish her sentence, Soojin had already bent down and picked up just enough snow to make a snowball and before she could stop her, Soojin had already throw it on Shuhua, hitting the back of her head and caughting the other by surprise who quickly turned around with wide eyes as if not believing what just happened. _

_ “Are you crazy?!” _

_ Soojin only smirked before turning to Soyeon. “Now, I got that out of my system-” She was interrupted by a snowball hitting her on her face. “What the fuck-” She looked at Shuhua who was already picking another snowball so she was quickly to do the same. _

_ “Are you two five?!” Minnie questioned as she watched Shuhua miss one of the snowballs destined to Soojin, hitting another student in the face which then escalated to a whole snowball war in the parking lot, she looked around trying to get Soyeon to help her only to find the girl already locked inside her car. “Soyeon, open the door. Let me in” She asked, basically begged and the other just shaked her head.  _

_ “Survival of the fittest” She heard Soyeon say. Minnie groaned and looked at the whole war happening around her and then she looked back at Soojin and Shuhua still mainly attacking each other. _

_ “You’re a dumbass” The cheerleader yelled at her.  _

_ “Yeah, whatever” Shuhua yelled back. “Get new names to offend me with!” She said before throwing another snowball in her direction. _

**_xxx_ **

“Hey!” Soojin laughed when she was hit with a snowball, watching as Shuhua stood by the parking lot with a smug smile in her face and another snowball in her hands. “Is that how you plan to show your love for me?” She asked, crossing her arms; She had told her sister to not pick her up and warned she would be spending some time with Shuhua instead but she didn’t know why they were still in the school’s parking lot hours after classes have ended. 

“If I get you cold then I can warm you up later” The younger said, wiggling her eyebrows which made Soojin laugh, but her cheeks were still turning pink.

“I didn’t agree dating such a pervert”

“Come on, you like it. I know”

Shuhua threw the snowball on the ground before making her way to her girlfriend and hugging her tightly before giving her a kiss. Soojin had noticed she was always more affectionate when it was just the two of them. 

“Ok, what are we going to do?” Soojin asked. “What sordid ideas do you have in mind?”

Shuhua gasped, faking being offended.

“Seo Soojin, I’m a gentlewoman; I never have sordid ideas” She said. “Only morally not encouraged ideas” She then added, winking right after while the older rolled her eyes. “Up for some late night adventures?” She asked before grabbing Soojin’s hand and making her way towards one of the cars, she could tell it was Miyeon’s and she couldn’t imagine what Shuhua had told the older girl to convince her to lend over her car just like that. 

She opened the door for Soojin.

“Where are we going?” she asked, watching as Shuhua placed one finger over her own lips and then walked around the car and finally entering, sitting next to her.

“You’ll know. Now” She looked at Soojin. “Give me a kiss first, is for good lucky”

“Yeah, Right” The older mocked, but still leaned forward and gave her the kiss she wanted and so right after Shuhua started to drive away. 


	50. Chapter 50

The grass was covered with a thick layer of snow that made squeak sounds as Shuhua walked around the car parked behind her as Soojin admired the view; The place was far off the main city, there was a few trees around and they had a beautiful view to the buildings and the lights from where they were; The older girl could only wonder how the taiwanesse found out about this place and could only assume it was from mindlessly walking or driving around. Still, she never thought Shuhua would just randomly drive this far away and she admired the younger's courage to just go around without an actual destination. The total opposite of Soojin. 

"Do you need help?" She finally asked, turning around to see Shuhua leaning over the backseat and pulling a thick blanket from there, the older girl arched an eyebrow. "What are we doing exactly?" 

"Miyeon always has those blankets in the backseat," Shuhua said. "and I thought it would be perfect for some outdoor snuggling and stargazing." She said before gently smacking the roof of the car.

"Stargazing in winter? If I end up with another cold I know who to blame"

"Unnie, where's your romantic spirit?" Shuhua teased. "And if you get sick I'll take care of you" She said placing the blanket on top of the car before grabbing the other one, climbing up right away while Soojin walked towards her. 

"How do you know Miyeon keeps those blankets in the car?" 

" _ Baobei _ , pick the snacks on my backpack for me?" The younger asked and Soojin arched an eyebrow as she leaned over the backseat and grabbed her backpack. 

"Snacks? You've planned this?" 

"Maybe. But I actually bought those at school" She admitted while Soojin passed the food to her, eyes then noticing Shuhua's diary at the bottom of the bag, She picked it up without thinking twice, noticing the locker on it, which wasn't there before; Suddenly it was taken from her hands and she looked up and saw Shuhua with it pressed against her chest. 

"I just asked for snacks, not for you to be noisy" She almost felt bad if it wasn't for how Shuhua smirked right away, letting her know she wasn't actually upset. "Your letter is in here by the way" She added, pointing at the diary before helping Soojin to climb up the car as well so they could sit next to each other. 

"My letter?" The older girl asked, confused and Shuhua nodded.

"You asked me for a letter so I'm writing you one" 

Truth be told, Soojin doesn't even remember asking for it and it was likely she was mostly joking with the younger yet to think she took her words seriously and was now actually writing something for her made her eyes burn a little and she reached for the taiwanesse and gave her a hug, caughting Shuhua off guard but even then she hugged Soojin back, placing her diary aside.

"What's wrong?" The younger asked, worried. "You wanted something besides the letter because I can-" 

Soojin silenced her with a kiss, just their lips pressed together in what was probably one of their most gentle and innocent-like kiss, Shuhua had her eyes open as she was caught by surprise yet again by the older girl but soon enough her eyes closed and she touched Soojin's cheek with her hand; Neither of them tried to deepen the kiss, and soon enough moved apart, touching foreheads right after. 

"I didn't know you liked letters so much," Shuhua whispered and Soojin giggled. 

"You're so sweet" She looked into Shuhua's eyes. "And cute"

"Just sweet and cute?" 

"Stop fishing for compliments" 

Shuhua laughed before kissing the other again, picking the other blanket to cover them both up as they laid down and stared at the dark sky, Soojin never really went on an actual date but this was something along the lines of a dream date. 

"How did you find this place?" She eventually asked, curiosity getting the better of her. "It's so far away"

She watched as Shuhua seemed to think if she was going to be honest or not but eventually sighes. 

"Last year, I… huh-" She offered Soojin a potato chip as she tried to find her words. The other took it and started to eat it. "I had made my plan to run away from home, for real this time" She confessed, feeling as Soojin had tugged at the sleeve of her coat and so she kissed her forehead gently before bringing her closer. "I got Minnie's car-"

"You stole Minnie's car?!"

"I-  _ Details. _ " She said. "Long story short, I ran out of gas and ended up stuck here instead, until Minnie eventually came to pick me up" She said quickly, not wanting to focus on that too much. "I would give her car back-"

"That's not the issue here" Soojin said which made the younger chuckle. "Why did you want to run away?"

"Do you like stargazing?" 

Soojin pinched her cheeks, ignoring Shuhua's whine.

"Stop changing the subject!" The older girl accused which only made the taiwanesse laugh even if she knew her girlfriend was annoyed. "If you don't wanna talk about it then just say it. No need to pretend I didn't ask."

"Fine, Fine. I just don't wanna ruin the mood" Shuhua said and then moved closer. "I'll tell you some other time, what about that?" 

Soojin narrowed her eyes. "Ok, that's fair. Now, why stargazing?" 

"It's romantic. Just me and you, watching the stars, eating potato chips and drinking soda" Shuhua said. "With a high chance of getting a cold, But is fine because we're snuggling for warmth," Soojin laughed at that. “Honestly I would say we’re living the life”

"Besides sweet and cute you're also really silly" Soojin told her and Shuhua laughed before pretending to be serious again. 

"Come on, not even beautiful or sexy?" The younger girl pretended to complain and Soojin laughed before shaking her head. "You're so mean! I'm not giving you my kisses anymore" 

"I doubt that. You like to kiss a lot" Soojin pointed out, moving closer and giggling at how Shuhua's lips pouted right away as soon as she went closer to her face, only to kiss the younger girl’s cheek instead. "I don't think you can ever not kiss me" She challenged with a laugh; Shuhua looked at her with this adorable frown between her eyebrows, and Soojin knew she was currently torn between being competitive and proving to Soojin that she could in fact, not kiss her. Or just admitting the fact that she liked kissing her. 

"Ah, I have no patience for this" Soojin gasped when Shuhua leaned over her and took her lips again, making the older lay down as she kissed her. "It's watermelon" She briefly comments, talking about her gloss, now that she could properly taste it and she couldn't help but smile in the kiss knowing Soojin picked it because it was Shuhua's favorite flavour. 

“Hey, you dropped our food!” Soojin complained against her lips once she realized that in her haste to kiss her, Shuhua had dropped their snacks on the floor; The taiwanesse didn’t seem to care as she just kept on kissing her, and Soojin was sure to kiss her back with as much passion only to flinch when she felt something on her face; Opening her eyes she noticed it was starting to snow again and she quickly pats Shuhua’s shoulder who moved away, confused.

“What?”

“It’s snowing silly, let’s get in the car”

“But kissing while the snow is falling is romantic!” Shuhua tried to argue. “It would be a perfect scene in a drama”

“I don’t wanna start the year with a cold” She said before pushing Shuhua to the side, but then saw the girl pouting. “We can continue in the backseat,” She said before giving the taiwanesse a quick kiss, her words enough to lift up the other’s mood.

“Yes ma’am!” Shuhua suddenly said before hopping from the roof and quickly picking everything up while Soojin laughed at her excitement before following her right after, picking up the blankets and the diary Shuhua had almost forgotten to take back as well, still laughing at the other telling her to hurry up. 

**.**

  
  
  


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**.**

“Is it always like this?” Tzuyu asked as she looked at Shuhua, helping the girl carry some stuff around the auditorium. “When I joined I thought the club would be more…”

“Excited?” Shuhua suggested with a chuckle while the other quietly nodded.

To say the theater club was basically dead was an understatement, she was pretty sure that the last play they had was on summer, about 3 years ago and how everyone had to buy their own costumes since the school didn’t want to spend any money with it; same as always, so it wasn’t a surprise those who were in the club had almost no excitement to come up with new ideas.

“We were supposed to have a winter play, I was looking forward to it but- “Shuhua shaked her head. “The principal kept on limiting how much we can spend so it’s gonna be canceled soon enough” and she still didn’t come up with a way to convince him otherwise. She was running out of options.

“Then why are you still here? Helping?” Tzuyu asked. “You like acting?”

“Yes” Shuhua replied, her answer was far more sincere than when asked about it months ago, and she could only assume it was thanks to Soojin. “I really like acting, like my mother”

“My mother likes acting too” The other said and Shuhua smiled excitedly at her, glad they’re finding more things in common between them. “Like movies, dramas and stuff like that. She works with actors, like finding new ones” She added, she was still a bit shy but trying her best to keep a conversation with Shuhua who was also glad the other girl felt comfortable around her.

“Really, that’s cool!” She replied before the other’s words finally hit her and suddenly she had an idea. “Wait, Tzuyu! You’re an absolutely genius!”

The other frowned, confused. “I… am?”

“Yes, You just gave me a fantastic idea!” She was exactly sure where this conversation would go but Shuhua looked really happy by whatever she had said. Before Shuhua could explain herself and her idea, the bell indicating the next class rang. “Let’s meet up after classes and I’ll tell you all about it, ok?” Shuhua asked and the girl nodded, watching as the other picked up her stuff, even if she had no idea of what Shuhua was planning to do.

  
  


**.**

  
  


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**.**

Soojin didn’t think Shuhua would be that much of a romantic person; Not that she was a complete disaster but she usually kept it to herself in front of their friends. Their PDA usually was resumed with hugs and quick cheek kisses when around the others and Soojin was okay with that since she wasn’t one into going all out so people will know she’s taken; Soojin also knew that Shuhua had a hard time voicing her feelings, be it in person or their text messages. 

But there she was, leaving cute love notes inside her locker everyday which made the older girl’s heart race and her cheeks blush every time she saw the other girl’s handwriting in the notes, it wasn’t anything too big, usually things like ‘Your hair looks pretty today’ or ‘jinjin you look so cute’. Nothing too much, but that still had Soojin in front of her locker, controlling herself to not skip her next class just to go find her and mark her face with her red lipstick.

"Your notes are so cute, I couldn't stop blushing" Soojin mumbled against Shuhua's neck as they were hugging each other in the parking lot, with the taiwanesse pressed against the back of her car; Some students still looking at them, still processing the fact that those two were dating after fighting for so long.

"Soyeon-Unnie said love notes are a good way for me to get better at showing my love" The younger said and Soojin made a mental note to thank Soyeon for that, since those notes were so adorable. "I'm glad you like them," She said, stroking the older's hair before gently kissing her cheek. 

"Of course I like it," Soojin said. "Even your handwriting is cute" 

"Now you're just trying to stroke my ego" Shuhua replied and the other laughed. "Ah, that reminds me. I won't be able to hang out with you at your house today. I'm sorry" She said and Soojin frowned. 

"Why not?"

"I'll be going out with Tzuyu," Shuhua replied. "You don't mind, right?" 

She did mind, she was hoping to spend some time together with her girlfriend at home, plus seeing how Shuhua and Tzuyu got along so quickly really made the green eyed monster in her act up. 

"Seriously?" 

Shuhua frowned at her tone. "Soojin, I can hang out with other people" She said, sternly.

The older sighs. "I know I was just… I wanted us to have some alone time. That's all" She mumbled and the younger nodded, understanding. "Where are you two going?"

"Eat something, maybe? I want to show her around since she's new in this part of the city" Soojin could only nod. "No need to be jealous. She is just a friend"

The older rolled her eyes. "I'm not jealous"

"Of course you're not," Shuhua laughed and Soojin smacked her shoulder. "Hey! no aggression. I'm your girlfriend" 

"Annoying girlfriend!"

"You just said I'm cute!"

"I said your notes are cute, you're bothersome!"

"JinJin!" 

The people around them could only watch the couple 'argue', nodding to themselves as that was the closest thing they could have of the 'old' sooshu duo; With Shuhua annoying the cheerleader who in return would constantly try to smack her, despite the fact they were still cuddling against the older girl's car, with Shuhua's arms wrapped tightly around Soojin's waist, Never letting her go and just laughing at the other being grumpy.


	51. Chapter 51

Soojin refused to be the over jealous girlfriend of the relationship, her plan was to act mature and tell those irrational feelings that Shuhua was her own person and she was allowed to make new friends and spend time with them, and being jealous of it wasn't an option, it was something that could ruin things between them because It was one thing to be jealous of a stranger that you don't know, as you are not aware of their intentions and another is to be jealous of a friend; She knew she wouldn't like if Shuhua suddenly didn't wanted her to hang out with Soyeon anymore so she couldn't just tell her to not hang out with Tzuyu, especially when the poor girl was new and trying to make friends as well.

Plus, their trust is supposed to be mutual; Despite her jealousy, Shuhua had never said anything about her hanging out with Hui or tried to keep Soojin from being friends with him so why should she do the same? From what she had noticed, Tzuyu didn't even seem interested in Shuhua that way; So yeah, trying to be a mature person was what she was going for; The only obstacle was the cheerleader squad talking non-stop with their gossiping and planting those obnoxious seeds of doubts inside her head.

"I can't believe you just let her go out with another girl" She heard them say, disapproving. "You don't even know this Tzuyu girl"

"She's a very nice and polite girl" Soyeon said, trying to stop them from putting any wrong ideas inside Soojin's head who was just on her phone, trying to ignore their talk. "She just wants to make new friends." 

"Soojin, you two just started to date. You should be more territorial" The captain only shakes her head.

"If Shuhua wanna make new friends I won't stop her. Stop insisting" She replied, trying her best to not take the words at heart. 

"Come on, the girl only befriended Shuhua. That's a little suspicious"

"They're from the same country. It's normal" Soyeon argued and Soojin was thankful for that. "She also got along with Yuqi and you don't see me being paranoid about it"

"Yeah, But Yuqi isn't the one with the fame of-"

"Of  _ what _ " Soojin asked, finally putting her phone down and glaring at the girls who became silent. "You already started speaking might as well finish it" She added, annoyed and Soyeon only shook her head before crossing her arms, because she knew about this too, and had already warned Soojin about Shuhua being popular with the girls, but things are different now that they're dating.

"Of going around with every single girl at school" Another one said and Soojin clenched her firsts. She was aware of that; She even witnessed Shuhua flirting with other girls or sneaking out with them at parties in the past. "You just think she's gonna change overnight?" 

"She did change. There's no secrets between us" Soojin replied, But her mind started to remind her of all the things she didn't know, things Shuhua didn't want to tell her; The lock in her diary came back into her mind again and she hated it, she stood up in silence before leaving the locker room.

"Are you guys satisfied?!" Soyeon asked, standing up as well. "You made her upset!" She said before going after the other. "Soojin, Hold on!-"

Soyeon quickly walked towards the other who walked with big steps, and there's only so much Soyeon's short legs could do to catch up so eventually she was jogging after the other girl, grabbing her elbow once she was within arm's reach, making her stop; Soojin's face was red from anger and she hated her friend like this.

"Hey, can you please calm down?" She asked,holding her elbows tighter when Soojin tried to walk again. "Don't let them get to your head. You know Shuhua more than them" 

“I know, but that doesn’t change the fact that it still bothers me” The girl said as they were now slowly walking down the hallway. "I'm not blind. I know a lot of girls like her and that Shuhua did have a thing with some of them but-"

"That doesn't mean you wanna hear about it. I know, it's understandable" Soyeon reassured her. "You guys just started dating, it's fine if you don't have a stable sense of trust, it will grow with time as you get closer"

"You and Yuqi trust each other a lot tho, and you're not even dating for that long"

"Yuqi and I have been friends for over a year, it's different," Soyeon explained. "And she's willing to open herself to me"

"I wish Shuhua did the same," Soojin mumbled. "Everytime she has a problem, she talks to Minnie instead" 

"Ok… I hope you're not getting jealous of Minnie as well" Soyeon said, crossing her arms while Soojin shakes her head.

"I'm not jealous, It just hurts knowing she would rather have someone else to comfort her" Shuhua always only had Yuqi and Minnie as her closest friends, she knew she couldn't compete against the both of them and neither she wanted to, all she hoped is that the taiwanesse would lower some of her walls to her as well. 

"You should talk to her about it"

"I know… I just worry she'll take it the wrong way. Like I want her to pick me over her friends" 

"She won't think that, you know it," Soyeon said. "It's just your fears telling you she will" 

The other didn't reply for a while, then sighs as she nods. 

"Yeah, You're right." Soyeon smiled now that Soojin was calmer. "We always communicate well" 

"See? There's no need to worry about it" 

Soyeon was right; Their conversations so far had always been calm, Shuhua was a very comphreensible person and so was Soojin; Like when Shuhua had told her that she didn't liked Soojin wearing revealing clothes and so the older stopped, or when Soojin had told the younger to keep her phone with her in those random walks she takes just so Soojin won't be worried; They were doing fine voicing the things they wanted; But there are still times, like right now, when Soojin's insecurities would come out, no matter how hard she tried to ignore and pretend it wasn't there or how it grew stronger every time she saw Shuhua surrounded by girls in the hallway with a smile on her face; It was like an annoying voice in the back of her head always asking.

' _ will I be enough? _ '

**.**

  
  
  


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"I'm so full!" Shuhua complained as she walked into Soojin's room while the older girl giggled at her drama, casually taking the other's jacket. "Not gonna lie, when Tzuyu asked for a salad I got a bit self conscious about my burger and fries" That comment got an actual laugh from Soojin.

"I don't think she cared about whatever you're eating" She said with a smile, watching as Shuhua sat on her bed and then laid down, patting gently indicating for Soojin to lay down with her. "Did you have fun?" She asked, laying down next to Shuhua, both facing each other.

"Yeah, It was really cool. We just ate and talked most of the time; She's still trying to fit in with her class, but everyone is being really nice to her and I told her if someone was mean about her accent then she can talk to me or Minnie and we deal with it!" Soojin smiled at her rant. "Yuqi too but I warned her that Yuqi's supposed strength was mostly a bluff; Oh! We have the same mole on the same hand too, that's crazy" She continued, showing Soojin her hand. 

"Really?"

"Yeah, I was really surprised and then we talked about her-” She was interrupted by Soojin kissing her, her hands gently touching her neck, pulling her closer, which caught the younger by surprise before she kissed her girlfriend back, her hands making its way to Soojin’s hips before the older moved away. “Not that I’m complaining but… This was really sudden” she giggled before touching Soojin’s nose with her own.

“You were so excited, I just felt like kissing you” The older replied before leaning for another kiss, a deeper one this time.

“Your sister is downstairs” Shuhua said between kisses and Soojin giggled at her worry before pulling away again.

“it’s fine we can be quiet”

“I can. You can’t-”

“ _ Shuhua _ !” Soojin pinched her arm and the younger laughed.

“What? It’s true” She said before being kissed again, being caught off guard yet again. “You really want a piece of me today” She said before Soojin started to kiss her neck. “I’m not complaining I just-” She stopped talking and with narrowed eyes she held Soojin’s shoulder and pushed her away gently, which made the older girl confused. “Is this because I went out with Tzuyu isn’t it? You’re way more clingy” Soojin opened her mouth to deny it but couldn’t bring herself to lie so she just avoided looking at the other. “I thought we already talked about this. You said you understood”

“I did. really it’s just-” Soojin sighs before coming closer to Shuhua who didn’t stop her, but instead hugged the other. “The girls from the squad kept talking nonsense and I ended up letting it get to me. I’m sorry” She said and Shuhua stroked her hair, gently. 

“When you feel like this, you can just talk to me. I’m all ears” Shuhua said.

“I know, I just get worried sometimes, knowing that you liked another girl before who I don't even know who it is; Even if I know you don’t like her anymore” Soojin said, hiding her face against Shuhua’s neck. “I just worry sometimes even if I know I don’t have to.” She mumbled.

It was hard to not overthink, Shuhua was more than aware of that and so she couldn’t exactly judge the other.

“Soojin…” The taiwanese started, still playing with her hair as she think about her following words. “About the girl I liked-”

“What about it?”

“Do you wanna know who it is?” She asked, and the older didn’t reply, at least not right away as her head was still against the younger’s neck until Shuhua felt Soojin nod, even if she could tell she was hesitating to put a face to the name; The younger opened her mouth before closing again and Soojin could tell the other was nervous over finally talking about this and for a moment she wanted to tell Shuhua that she didn’t need to tell her anything and that she was fine with not knowing about it, even if it was a blatant lie, it would be better than force the girl to speak up about it, but before she could say anything Shuhua was quicker than her:

  
  
  


“It’s you”


	52. Chapter 52

"It's you"

The room is filled with complete silence as Shuhua felt Soojin frozen against her arms, probably processing her words inside her head until she slowly moved away to look into the taiwaneses's eyes in absolute confusion which made the other smile because even then Soojin looked adorable and Shuhua wanted to squeeze her cheeks and attack her with kisses but she managed to stop herself. 

"What?"

"I said-"

"I heard what you said but-" She paused for a second. "I can't believe it," She said. "How?"

"Well, you were always nice to me when I arrived at school and even if we didn't talk much I always thought you were really beautiful" 

"Then why did you act like you hated me?" The older asked, absolutely confused, even more than before; All she wanted is for things to make sense.

"I wanted to get your attention, plus you never really reacted when I was being nice" Soojin blinked, taking those words in. "We only managed to get closer when I tricked you into joining the school play" 

The school play... Soojin thinks back of this specific moment they had in the auditorium a few months ago.

  
  


**_xxx_ **

  
  


_ Shuhua laughs as she shakes her head, back turned to Soojin now. "You think I'm stupid" _

_ "Sometimes, yeah; But not right now" _

_ "You just want to narrow down the list of potential girls I might like so you can find out who I'm in love with" Shuhua replied, now turning to Soojin. "But I just know the one I want isn't even in the list" _

**_xxx_ **

  
  


Soojin wondered if that was what she meant, she never included herself as one of the girls Shuhua could be into, the idea never really crossed her mind; But before she could think of anything she also remembered Shuhua's words from before.

  
  


**_xxx_ **

_ "Would you really help me get together with my crush?" Shuhua asked, suddenly and Soojin felt like she almost tripped on thin air by this question; Especially how calm Shuhua sounds.  _

_ Soojin pulls her scarf down so she can talk properly. "I mean… Yeah-" _

_ "She has a boyfriend," Shuhua added. "Are you going to help me to break them up?" _

**_xxx_ **

  
  


That didn't added up to the story at all, and she looked at the taiwanesse with a frown.

"You said your crush had a boyfriend and I never had one," Soojin said. "I didn't had a girlfriend either" 

"I know" That answer only made the older even more confused. "I was just lying"

"Why?"

"First because I didn't want for you to find out, so I wasn't sincere about how the person I liked was like, Second… I wanted to check if you were willing to help me break a couple"

"So all this time… You liked me?" Soojin watched as the younger nodded, before pulling her closer into her arms. 

"At first it was because you were so pretty"

Soojin blushed at the words. 

"But now I like you because of the kind of person you are." Shuhua said, kissing Soojin's forehead. "And if you still don't believe then…" She leaned towards the older and took her lips into another kiss, hoping to ease any of her worries and doubts. at least for now. “I’ll make sure you will, everyday”

  
  


**.**

  
  
  


**.**

  
  
  


**.**

  
  
  


"You guys are so much more clingy today" Miyeon said, with a frown. "Not that is a bad thing, You should always shower your girlfriend with your love but I think this is the first time I saw you two kiss" She said watching as Shuhua was hugging Soojin from behind and the cheerleader blushed a little. 

"Did something happen?" It was Soyeon who asked and Yuqi looked at Shuhua, curious about how they managed to become an even more gross and lovey dovey couple than before.

"Keep acting like this and you're gonna take Miyeon and Minnie's spot as the school's sweetest couple" The chinese girl said, looking at the older couple who had a similar position to the sooshu duo. 

"Ah! We're competing then" Minnie points at Shuhua. "I won't go easy on you two, Miyeon and I have couple sweaters" 

"Soojin collects the love notes I give her" Shuhua said and Soojin covered her face with her hands in embarrassment. “she even said my handwriting is cute!”

“Minnie’s is cute too!” Miyeon exclaimed, defending her girlfriend’s honor.

“Anyways, this is not the point,” Soyeon said. “It’s just weird how you two managed to get even more clingy than before”

Soojin held Shuhua’s hand. “That’s because last night Shuhua told me how she always had a crush on me, since she arrived here” she explained, looking at the younger one who winked at her.

“I knew it!” It was Minnie who said while Miyeon said something along the lines ‘that’s so cute’. “All that hatred had to be repressed love!” She then pointed at Soyeon. “You own me money since we made a bet over this!”

Soyeon groans “Seriously?”

“Stop making bets about my love life!” Soojin complained, which caused the others to laugh but once Shuhua looked at Yuqi she felt a chill down her spine once she noticed the chinese girl glaring at her non stop, now she understood what  _ ‘if looks could kill’ _ mean because she was pretty sure she would be dead by now if it was up for the other.

  
  


**.**

  
  
  


**.**

  
  
  


**.**

Shuhua sitting alone by the bleachers of the basketball court, writing on her notebook about the team’s next schedule of practices so they could be well prepared when someone grabbed it from her hands, making the taiwanesse gasp, shocked before she looked up and saw Yuqi, who looked more irritated than ever.

“What is wrong with you?!”

“What’s wrong with me?!” Yuqi asked. “What’s wrong with you!”

The taiwanesse stood up, crossing her arms right after and the other did the same, she should see this coming, yet didn’t think Yuqi would come to her right away to talk about this.

“What now?”

“You lied to Soojin” The other said. “Why would you say that you always liked her when we both know that’s not even close to the truth. You hated her!” She added and Shuhua looked away.

“She was feeling bad for feeling jealous and I said I always liked her to make her feel better”

“Yes, because lying to her will make her feel great. You’re a genius!” Yuqi said, rolling her eyes. “It’s what everyone likes, being lied to! what are you gonna do when Soojin finds out”

“She’s not going to find out!” Shuhua raised her voice, and started to become irritated as well. “You know why? Because only the two of us know about it!”

“So because just the two of us know about it, you think it is okay to lie to her?” Yuqi asked, failing to see the other’s logic, there if there was any logical reasoning behind what Shuhua did.

“Why are you even worrying? It’s my girlfriend not yours, who also you’re lying to”

“This is not about me, it is about how you’re covering your lies with even more lies” Yuqi replied. “Honestly, what’s stopping me to go to Soojin and tell her the truth myself?” She said and Shuhua narrowed her eyes.

“Go then!” The taiwanesse challenged. “Tell her how I had to tell you while you’re at it as well” She added and Yuqi opened her mouth before closing again, knowing what the other meant. “As I said… Nothing will happen” She grabbed her notebook from Yuqi’s hand. “Stop worrying about it”

“I worry about the kind of person you're gonna turn into” It’s all Yuqi said before turning around to leave, not letting the other have a chance to reply. 

  
  


**.**

  
  
  


**.**

  
  
  


**.**

  
  


“You’re in a good mood, why?” Soojin asked after Shuhua kissed her lips; The taiwanesse smiled brightly and held her hands, pulling her closer.

“The school play won’t be cancelled anymore” She said, excited and Soojin looked at her, surprised.

“How?” She asked and then narrowed her eyes. “You didn’t tell Minnie to bribe our principal did you?”

“What? No!” Shuhua said. “That was my second option tho” She then admitted and Soojin laughed before wrapping her arms around the younger’s waist, hugging her. “Tzuyu and I talked to him since her mom works with finding new artists and all that and so we managed to convince him that this would be a great career opportunity for the graduating students”

“You mean, you?” Soojin teased. “So you can show off your acting skills?” She added and Shuhua laughed.

“Maybe!” Shuhua said. “But what matters is that I got what I wanted”

Soojin smiled as she watched the other girl kept on ranting about it, glad that she was so happy about it; Somehow the confession from last night really kept all her worries and insecurities away, she really had nothing to worry about, not when her Shuhua had been loving her for so long, that was more than enough for her.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


But for how long?


	53. Chapter 53

The following week was a complete chaos, now that the principal had a reason to care about the school play, they were working really hard on it, and starting from where they left and of course Shuhua being the person she was, didn't hesitate to throw herself into working so hard that outside the practices on the auditorium, Soojin barely saw her and once Minnie told her that she was coming home later than usual the girl knew she had to put a stop on this before she overworked to the point of exhaustion. 

As for Shuhua, it was better to overwork, in a way, kept her productive and active and most important, it kept her from thinking about anything else, or feeling guilty about certain things. It was for the best if she didn't think much, that is until Soojin stormed the auditorium after school was over and grabbed the papers from her hands and threw them on top of the piano, caughting the younger off guard. 

"Wha-"

"Let's go home. Now" 

Shuhua opens her mouth to argue but one look from Soojin was enough for her to know there was no point, If the taiwanesse was stubborn, then her girlfriend was just as stubborn as her and once in a while one of them had to give in to what the other wanted, like right now. 

"I was about to leave-"

"No you were not" Soojin replied and Shuhua held back a sigh, knowing that the other was indeed right. She picked up her stuff but before they could leave, she felt Soojin's hands on her shoulder. "Hey… You know I'm just trying to take care of you, right?" The older asked, worrying she might get the other upset.

Shuhua doesn't like being treated like she needs to be protected like a child but she knows Soojin has good intentions and was just looking out for her, yet she can't bring herself to look into her eyes for too long. It made her  _ think  _ again.

"I know… I'm thankful for that" She replied before hugging the older. "I feel like I don't take care of you enough," Shuhua mumbled, which made Soojin laugh before hugging her back. 

"It's fine"

"No, It's not" The younger one replied, holding her tighter and Soojin frowned, she had the feeling this wasn't just about taking care of her.

"Well, to be fair. I don't really give you that many reasons to worry too much about me" The cheerleader said. "You on the other hand, tend to work a bit too much," She said, before giving Shuhua a quick kiss. 

"I worry that if I don't do a good job people will-"

"Shh" Soojin pressed her finger on her lips. "Don't worry about how other people see you. It doesn't matter"

It did. a lot. at least to Shuhua but she would rather not insist on the topic and just nodded, knowing Soojin would be happy with this, then she hugged the older tighter than before and took a deep breath, enjoying her perfume. 

"I like you" She mumbled, suddenly feeling even more tired than before; She feels like those are the most sincere words she ever said in the past 2 to 3 years. 

"I like you too" Soojin replied, hugging her just as tight. "Do you want me to stay the night with you?" She asked and Shuhua shook her head. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, you need some rest too," Shuhua said as they started to walk away, holding hands. 

"Ok… So how is it living with Minnie?" Soojin asked as they made their way out of the auditorium. "Please tell me you two aren't eating pizza everyday," She said and Shuhua chuckled.

“Actually, we’re not. Minnie established a lot of rules once I moved in. Can you believe this?” Soojin laughed at how surprised the other sounded. “She has been cooking for us, I never saw her cook before!” She added, letting go of Soojin’s hand to put her arm around her shoulders. 

“Is her cooking good?” Soojin asked, her arm around Shuhua’s waist, who seemed to think about her question. “Just know that your answer might have consequences” 

“Oh!… Yours is much better!” The younger was quick to say and Soojin nods, smiling.

“That’s good to know,” She said before the both of them laugh. “Anything else I have to know?”

“Well, I have to come home before 11 pm,” Shuhua said. “The first days were a bit awkward tho”

“Why?”

“Minnie kept forgetting there was another person in the house,” Shuhua said. “I tried to make us breakfast one day and she came downstairs with a baseball bat I didn’t know she had, thinking someone broke in only to realize I live there too”

That was funny to picture, even more when she thinks that Minnie couldn't hurt a fly so having a baseball bat wouldn't do much when Soojin knows she would've panicked if someone had actually broken in.

"Seriously-" Shuhua shakes her head. "She thought someone broke in and decided to make her breakfast?" 

"Let her be, she's getting old" Soojin replied as they finally walked out the building. Shuhua giggles at the comment. “Also I hope you gonna rest when you get home” She said, glaring at Shuhua who just scratched the back of her head, she was planning on working but knowing Soojin she would lecture her if she went to sleep late.

“I will” The older doesn’t look convinced. “Seriously. I promise!”

“For real?”

“Yeah! Have I ever lied to you?”

**.**

  
  


**.**

  
  


**.**

Shuhua was scrolling on her phone when she felt someone lay on her bed, then finally noticing Minnie looking at her curiously which made the taiwanesse arch an eyebrow, questioning.

“Something seems different with you” The older stated. “I don’t know what it is but…”

“It’s the bangs, thanks for noticing tho”

Minnie rolled her eyes.

“Seriously. There’s nothing different.”Shuhua said. “I’m fine” She continued, focusing on her phone again. 

“Yeah? Then what’s with the awkward mood when we’re with Yuqi?” The other asked and Shuhua’s only response was to turn around in the bed, her back facing Minnie who poked her shoulder. “Did you two fight again?”

“Maybe”

“That’s happening a lot lately” She said. “and neither of you two wants me to tell what happened so I just gonna assume you guys are keeping things from me” She stared at the younger as if waiting for her answer.

Shuhua doesn’t reply, how was she supposed to even tell Minnie about the lie she told Soojin? She knows that if she told the other, Minnie might as well grab her by the ear and take her to Soojin and make her say the truth, and she would rather not have another person mad at her right now. Yuqi is enough, at the end of the day they understood each other in ways that she knew Minnie couldn’t understand her. 

“We’re going to be fine, don’t worry about it” Shuhua then said, putting her phone away and turning to face the older again. Minnie sighs.

“Of course I worry about you Shuhua, you’re like the little sister I never had” Minnie said. “I worry about Yuqi as well, of course, even if she’s a little bit more of a brat with me sometimes” she added with a laugh and Shuhua smiled.

“Yuqi is just…”Shuhua stopped herself for a second”...  _ Yuqi _ . I know she loves you” She added, it was the best way to put it; It took some time for the chinese girl to get used to a new person in their lives after so long being just the two of them, but she knew despite the bickering, Yuqi liked Minnie. “But don’t tell her I told you that. She’ll be even more upset at me for exposing the fact she likes you” The taiwanesse said and Minnie laughed at that before her finally sitting up on the bed and looking down at Shuhua. 

“I’m going to bed now” She announced. “But just know… if you need anything you can just talk to me you know?” Shuhua nods, knowing there was no point in denying that she wouldn’t need to talk to Minnie, the older was way too smart to believe her, she just nods and waits until she’s finally ready to talk about it. “Goodnight” She said, before walking out.

“Good night” Shuhua replied, watching as the other closed her door.

Then her phone started to ring and she was quick to pick it up once she noticed it was Soojin. 

“Are you trying to make sure I’m actually resting?” Shuhua asked, as soon as she picked the call, giggling at how Soojin seems to be caught off guard by the question, judging by her gasp.

“I-... Maybe” She said. “But I’m sure you don’t want to make me upset”

“You’re cute when you’re upset,” Shuhua replied. “Your tsundere levels increase and you pretend you don’t want my kisses”

“You’re so annoying!” Soojin said. “I’m calling to check on you like the dedicated girlfriend I am and you’re picking on me” She complained which only made Shuhua laugh. “I want to break up!!”

“Too late, you can’t break up with me.”Shuhua said. “You love me too much”

“I’m gonna add your ego as a reason for our divorce” Soojin accused, but the other knew she was smiling on the other side of the phone.

“Oh so you’re already planning on marrying me?” The taiwanese asked. “It’s not legal in Korea yet but we can run away to another country” She suggested.

“I’m not marrying you, you don’t clean the dishes,” Soojin said. “I would have to clean, take the trash out, cook… ah… I’m getting tired just imagining it” She said, with a sigh. “Speaking of which… have you eaten yet?”

“Not really,” Shuhua replied.

“Are you hungry?”

“Yes. Why?” Shuhua smiled. “Are you going to make me your seaweed soup?” She jokes.

“Yeah… If you come over right now, it will probably be done once you arrive” Soojin said, already standing up from her bed. “and I know you like it a lot”

“Wait for real?” Shuhua looks at the clock. “But It’s already midnight”

Soojin chuckles. “Well, don’t let Minnie hear you sneaking out then” She said and Shuhua smiled. 

“Ok, I’m coming over soon enough”

“I’ll be waiting”


	54. Chapter 54

It was almost 1am when Soojin heard soft knocks at the door so she quickly made her way there, opening it and seeing Shuhua who was caught by surprise when the older held her face and pulled her for a kiss, which the younger was quick to respond, pulling the other closer and kissed her deeply until they needed to breath again.

“You took so long,” Soojin complained. “I thought you wouldn’t come” She said, Kissing Shuhua one more time, the younger was quick to press her against the door frame.

“Sorry, Sorry-" She muttered against her lips. "It was hard to sneak out… Minnie was still awake when you called" She said between kisses. "I came on a bicycle by the way" 

"What-" she then noticed it laying on the grass in front of the stairs, as Shuhua tossed it on the ground in her hurry to get to the door. "I didn't know you had a bicycle… Let's put it in the garage" She said, and the other nodded, going back to grab it as they moved to the garage. 

"Minnie gave it to me on Christmas when I was 16," Shuhua said. "But I never really used it until now" 

"Explains why you look too big for it" Soojin said, giggling as she watched the other carry it inside the garage before they made their way back to the front door, Once inside Soojin locked the door while Shuhua removed her shoes, turning around and seeing the older staring at her.

“What?”

“Your coat,” Soojin simply said, coming closer and touching the younger’s shoulders. “Last time I saw you wearing it you were so small” She said, remembered Shuhua in that same coat, however it was way too big for her, the memories made her smile as she thinks back of her cute face drinking the hot chocolate she gave her. “It was on christmas”

“Yes, with Yuqi’s iconic olaf costume” They both laughed as they finally made their way inside.

“I remember that, I took pictures,” Soojin said, she would remember very well about how Minnie and Shuhua had forced Yuqi to pose with them and how the chinese girl looked annoyed in all the pictures, but still let the girls hug her and was happy again once Soojin gave her another mug of hot chocolate, paid by Minnie this time. "Now, are you still hungry?" She asked, finally taking the younger's coat off.

"Starving!" Shuhua replied. "I was planning on just eating the frozen pizza on the freezer" 

"Good thing I called you then" Soojin said before kissing her cheek. "Now let's go" She said, guiding her to the kitchen.

Shuhua thinks she could eat Soojin's cooking forever, it always tasted amazing and the fact that the other girl had cooked especially for her just added a special flavor to every bite she took, because it was Soojin's way of showing her affection without words, taking care of her and the younger was thankful of that; She never felt like she was being treated like a child when Soojin asked if she was eating properly or telling her to sleep well, just being taken care of, as something really precious to her that Soojin wants nothing but to see well. 

There's this bitter taste in her mouth as she looks down at her food, it's not from what she's eating and she knows it. It was just her conscience getting to her, Was she taking care of Soojin like the older does? 

She heard a click sound before she could dive into the guilty parts of her mind and once she looked to the side, there was another click and she realized Soojin was taking pictures of her with this satisfied smile on her lips. 

"What are you doing?" The younger asked, chewing. 

"You look cute when you eat," Soojin replied. "Like a baby chipmunk" She laughed at Shuhua's offended expression.

" _ Unnie! _ "

Soojin laughed, hitting the other's shoulder and then leaning closer to wrap her arms around her waist, resting her head on Shuhua's shoulder and watching her eat while complaining at the same time.

"Seriously… First a fuckboy, now chipmunk" The younger mumbled and Soojin just watched her with a soft smile. "I feel like you're trying to tell me something with these"

"That your fashion style is questionable but you're really cute?" Soojin teased. Shuhua just shaked her head and kept on eating. “Speaking of which, how is my letter going?” She asked. 

Truth be told, The letter Shuhua was currently writing to Soojin looked more like an essay, no matter how much she wrote on the piece of paper it always felt incomplete, like something was missing, The taiwanesse blamed it on the way she doesn't know how to fully express her feelings, maybe it will be better in the future, once her relationship with Soojin has a few more months, or years. 

"I'm not satisfied with it yet," She replied. "I want it to be perfect for you"

"Honestly, I have never received a letter before," Soojin replied."a letter from you is already perfect to me" She moved closer and snuggled against the younger who kissed the top of her head. "But if you think is too hard it's okay too"

"It's not too hard!" Shuhua exclaimed. "I can do it and you'll love every word. It's gonna make you cry from all my sweetness, I bet!" Soojin laughed at her confidence. "Also I'm done" She said, pushing her bow forward and then checking her watch. 2 am already. 

"It's late," Soojin said, noticing the time as well."Spend the night here. We can go to school together later"

"I knew this was a plan you had to seduce me" Shuhua said and the older girl smacked her shoulder before they made their way upstairs, holding hands. "How are we gonna do tomorrow? I don't have my uniform"

"You can wear mine" Soojin suggested. 

"I can't wear your skirts, they're too short for me and-" Soojin interrupted her with a kiss once they're in front of her room, her hands caressing the back of her neck softly. "Ok… no school talk" The younger mumbled against the other's lips.

"Glad you took the hint," Soojin said, kissing her again as she opened the door, Shuhua wrapped her arms around her waist and pulled her closer, holding the other in a tight embrace before kicking the door shut; She heard a soft whimper when she pressed her lips against Soojin's neck before she felt the older's hands moving to unbutton her jeans. 

"Are you sure?" It's all Shuhua asks, against her warm skin and only hearing a soft yes from the older before her hands move to unbutton Soojin's pajama top. The same cherry themed pajamas she saw on pictures before back when all they had was phone calls. 

Soojin let Shuhua guide her all the way to the bed, holding her tight and marking her neck, taking in her smell while Shuhua quickly got rid of her pajamas, tossing it aside somewhere in the room before they finally laid down with the younger on top of the other, kissing her deeply; The only pause being when Shuhua moved away to take off her own shirt, which also end up somewhere on the room's floor. 

Soojin licked her lips at sight and her hands automatically caressed her stomach, feeling how soft her skin was, then she sat up and tugged on the other's jeans one more time before Shuhua took her lips, removing it herself while Soojin did the same with her own pajamas. 

"Is this still okay?" Shuhua asked again, and Soojin smiled at how the other really wanted to make sure she was comfortable, not only with her words but her delicate touches and gentle kisses, despite their state of clothings or lack of; Soojin nods once again and Shuhua did the same, before taking the older girl's arms and wrapping them around her neck. 

"You're so beautiful" Shuhua said, looking into Soojin's eyes and she couldn't help but blush at the words and how the other said it. "I can't stop looking at you" She added before giving her a quick kiss, her right hand moving from Soojin's arms to between their bodies, making it's way down as she enjoys the sounds Soojin makes against her ear…

  
  


**.**

  
  
  


**.**

  
  
  


**.**

Morning comes quicker than expected, For once Soojin wakes up before her alarm has the chance to ring; Doesn't take long to realize what happened once she noticed Shuhua's arm over her chest while she was sleeping like a baby next to her, seeing her peaceful and innocent expression as the younger slept made Soojin blush once she remember how that was the complete opposite about how she was in the past night, eager and passionate. 

"You think so loud" She heard Shuhua mumble before she opened her eyes. "Is everything ok?" She asked but Soojin could see the 'did you regret it?' hidden behind her words so she just smiled at her girlfriend.

"Everything is perfect" 

"mhmm. That's good" Shuhua said. "Because you're far more aggressive than I've expected… My back hurts because of your nails" Shuhua complained and laughed at how red the other becomes. 

" _ Shuhua! _ " 

"What? Is fine" The younger replied. "We're a couple that likes each other. Is normal to talk about this kind of stuff" Soojin covered her face with her hands. "My back just shows I did an amazing job at making you c-"

"Oh my god, stop," Soojin said and the other giggled. "You're going to kill me from embarrassment" 

"Fine… Fine" Shuhua said and then looked at the clock. "We still have 2 hours before class so what about we shower together?"

Soojin takes a peek from between her fingers, staring at Shuhua. 

"Keep your hands for yourself"

"I promise" 

**.**

  
  


**.**

  
  


**.**

  
  


"You two will be the death of me!" Minnie said as soon as she saw the couple walking in, holding hands. "Don't think I didn't notice you sneaked out" She pointed at Shuhua who shrugs, unbothered; Minnie then pointed at Soojin. "What's with you stealing her in the middle of the night?" 

"She was hungry!" Soojin defended herself and Shuhua."I can spoil my girl if I want" 

"I think you did more than spoil her" Minnie mentioned, looking grossed out as she motions at her own neck. "Please cover up properly. I don't need to see that" She said and Soojin quickly pulled up her scarf, already feeling her cheeks burning while Shuhua laughed, despite Soojin smacking her shoulder and saying that she should be more careful about where she leaves marks; Meanwhile Minnie, despite not wanting to hear about what they're up to in their private times, just shakes her head at their bickering. 

“Just warn me next time” Minnie finally said, as soon as Soojin’s attention was on the others once they made their way to their friends, mostly for Shuhua to hear. “I thought you ran away again-” She said and the other at least had the decency to look guilty.

“I’m sorry-”

“No need to apologize. Just don’t do it again” Minnie said and Shuhua nodded. “Speaking of which, You didn’t take my car… and I didn’t see Soojin’s car either, you two walked all the way here?”

“We came on my bicycle,” Shuhua said, with a big smile. 

Of course, it took a lot of convincing and bribing to convince Soojin to accept since the older claimed she didn’t trust Shuhua that much with a bicycle, but in the way she end up accepting, even if she did scream at least once or twice every time Shuhua turned around a corner. 

“Your tiny bicycle?”

“It’s not that small,” Shuhua said. “Also, it was very romantic, like in the dramas and all that” She added with a smile and Minnie smiled back. 

“You must be really happy” The older said. “Since you have been in love with her for so long” 

Shuhua’s smile almost faltered.  _ Almost. _ Suddenly she remembers that she was in fact lying, not only to Soojin but also to everyone else too. 

“Yeah” Shuhua replied. “It’s like a dream came true,” She said, as she looks at Soojin talking happily about something with Miyeon; It was indeed like a dream to be with someone like Soojin.

But she knows that eventually she gotta wake her up from said dream. 

  
  



	55. Chapter 55

Shuhua had no idea what Minnie and Miyeon had in mind, it was the weekend and instead of being with her girlfriend watching movies and kissing, she was stuck in the backseat of Miyeon's car after the Mimin couple had kidnapped and dragged her into the car for some unknown reason; She has no idea of what was going on but was ready to blame Miyeon for it as she was sure Minnie would never do this kind of thing to her. 

"It really feels like a family trip" Miyeon started, focusing on driving, and Minnie smiled at her. "There's me, my wife-" She glanced at Minnie and Shuhua loudly groaned from the backseat. "The moody teenager that won't stop being grumpy" She added, making the thai laugh. "We just need a dog now" 

"Why am I being forced into this situation?" The couple ignored the question and kept on talking with each other like Shuhua never said anything; Then the taiwanesse's phone started to ring and she was quick to pick up once she saw Soojin's name. " _ Honey _ ! You need to come save me" 

The couple rolled their eyes.

"Yeah…" Shuhua said, pausing for a second as she hears what Soojin is saying."Me? I'm in the car… with  _ them _ "

Minnie and Miyeon glanced at each other before looking forward again.

“I have no idea of what they want. They manhandled me into the car, I couldn’t fight back” 

Minnie then turned around to look at the younger. “It’s Soojin?” She asked, even if she already knows the answer. Shuhua glared at her and the older tried her best not to laugh because at most she looked like an annoyed puppy.

“Yeah…?” She answered, like it was obvious.

“Let me talk to her for a second”

“Minnie wants to talk to you,” Shuhua said. “Yeah, Yeah… I don’t understand it either” She continued before handing the phone over to Minnie who quickly grabbed it.

“Hey Soojin!”

“ _ What are you doing to my Shuhua? _ ” Soojin asked from the other side, not exactly mad but curious. “ _ We should be spending the weekend together _ ”

“Don’t worry, you’ll have all of her tomorrow” She said. “Miyeon and I will take good care of her”

“ _ Just don’t annoy her too much, _ ” Soojin replied. “ _ I still have to deal with her later _ ”

“Yes, Don’t worry about it” She said, glancing at Shuhua who was looking out the window with her arms crossed and the biggest pout on her lips. "We'll bring her back in one piece" 

" _ I sure hope you do! _ "

"Now, Bye Bye Soojin" The Thai said before ending the call and putting the phone inside her bag, ignoring the youngest's expression.

"Give me back my phone"

"You won't need it. It's fine" 

Shuhua considered arguing but end up just groaning and crossing her arms again, still wondering where in the world they were going; The drive wasn't that long and soon enough they arrived at what looked like a giant park, with rides and such. It was actually really cool and the taiwanesse was already planning when she would being Soojin here.

"Why are we here?" The younger asked. 

"Why else? To have fun" Miyeon said, with the same sweet smile of always and Shuhua frowned, suspicious. If it was supposed to be a fun day then why was it just the three of them instead of the whole group together?

"Can you please stop looking so suspicious?" Minnie asked as she opened the door for her, and Shuhua quickly came out of the car, looking around. "We won't kill you… there's too many witnesses anyways"

" _ Minnie! _ " Miyeon reprimanded and the thai shrugs. "Let's just have fun, we never go out just the three of us"

"I don't enjoy being a third wheel, that's why" Shuhua replied, rolling her eyes as she follows the pair into the park, looking at all the attractions there. "... The place is cool tho"

"See! I told you she would like" Miyeon told Minnie.

"Next time I come here, I'll bring Soojin with me" 

"What about us?" 

"We live together, I already got tired of looking at you" 

"So cold" Minnie replied, pretending to be hurt, which got a giggle out of the younger. "how about we go to the ferris wheel first?" She suggested once they looked around the place. 

The ferris wheel cabin was big enough for the 3 of them, it was colorful and the first thing Shuhua could think was how she would love to bring Soojin there, maybe cuddle in the ferris wheel’s cabin and watch the sunset together. That sounded nice and she was sure the other would like it.

“Do we really need to go in the same cabin?” Shuhua asked, as Miyeon pushed her inside before walking in followed by Minnie.

“We’re hanging out together, of course we’re going in the same cabin” Minnie replied as they sat across Shuhua who sighs. 

“Ok, but just know if you two kiss I have all the rights to slap at least one of you” Shuhua said.

The view from up there was amazing and the taiwanesse moved closer to the window, wishing she had her phone so she could send the pictures to Soojin, knowing the older girl Shuhua knew she would be too scared to look out the window and would most likely just clingy to her arm until it was over and just imagining that was enough to bring a smile to her smiles and she almost forgot she wasn’t alone if it wasn’t for the giggles behind her; She turned around and glanced at the couple with her and saw Minnie pointing something out the window to Miyeon who would just let a quiet ‘ _ woah _ ’ leave her mouth. 

_ hm. _

Then Miyeon glanced her way and quickly raised her arms. “You said no kissing, nothing about cuddling!” The older girl quickly defended herself and Minnie looked at her as well and smiled while Shuhua just rolled her eyes and looked out the window again.

After ferris wheel it was time for Bumper Cars which eventually ended up on Shuhua harassing Miyeon by constantly bumping into her car despite the older telling her to leave her alone and hit Minnie for once, which then resulted on the thai girl also hitting Miyeon’s car as well as they both laughed like evil cartoon characters at the other’s distress.

“I never felt so betrayed!” Miyeon said once they’re done.

“I feel like I just got rid of 3 years of frustration” Shuhua replied, all smiles and Minnie ruffled her hair. “This is actually fun. I’m definitely bringing Soojin here”

“Oh gosh” Miyeon started, looking at Minnie. “She’s so in love with her!” Miyeon giggled, finding this whole thing super adorable, especially as Shuhua’s eyes went wide as she blushed.

“in love?!” She managed to say as she stared at the older in disbelief. 

“Ohh, they didn’t say the L word yet, Mi!” Minnie said before she laughed. “That’s adorable”

“It is!”

“Shut up! The both of you!” The younger complained while the other two laughed. “Anyways, I’m hungry. Go buy me something to eat!” She demanded, mostly to avoid the current topic. 

“Alright, Alright” Minnie said once they arrived at one of the picnic tables nearby. “I’ll buy something for us, stay here” She said, before walking away leaving the other two alone sitting next to each other.

And then there’s silence.

Miyeon looked at Shuhua who looked in the opposite direction, more interested in the people walking by. The older frowned before looking forward again, trying to come up with a topic for them to talk about, usually she was always the one who had to start the conversation on the few times she’s alone with Shuhua otherwise the younger was mute and stiff as a rock. 

“Is everything good with Soojin?” She decided to ask. “It’s been what? 3 weeks of dating?”

“Yeah” The younger replied. ‘ _ and half a week of lying _ ’ she added in her head. 

“She told me you’re working on a letter for her, it’s really sweet”

“Why is she talking about that? It’s an ‘us’ thing” Shuhua mumbled, already planning on telling Soojin to not talk about this kind of thing, especially to Miyeon, she’s giving them ammo to tease her. “and I don’t know if I’ll be able to finish her letter anyways”

“Why?” Miyeon asked and Shuhua looked around, wondering why the hell Minnie was taking so long to come back, did she went to buy food on the other side of the park or something? “Letters are easy. I wrote a lot for Minnie and she did the same”

“I know that”

"You do?" 

"Before you two were dating Minnie told me to ask you if you liked love letters" Shuhua said. "But I had already asked you if you liked girls" Miyeon nodded, she remembered that. "So I told Yuqi to ask Soojin if you liked it and then tell me so I could tell Minnie"

"Why didn't she just ask me on her own?"

"You're dating a coward. Get over it" Shuhua said, shaking her head."Then she started to make those gross letters" 

"They were adorable! She even put perfume on them" 

Shuhua opens her mouth for a second before closing it again. 

"Anyways, My letter for Soojin is just fine, It just feels like it's missing something," The younger said before she sighs. "No matter what I write it doesn't sound good"

"You have to be sincere about what you're writing"

"I am!" Shuhua replied. "I write about how cool and smart and pretty she is"

Miyeon shakes her head. "No, when I say sincere I mean about how you feel about her" The older replied and for the first time she actually felt older to Shuhua. "You can write a lot of pretty words, it won't matter if it's not what's in your heart, so just be honest. Even if your words are simple and don't have a deeper meaning"

' _ How can I be honest? _ ' Shuhua asked herself, her mind playing the image of Soojin's big and hopeful eyes as she believed in her lie over and over as she felt her heart ache inside her chest. 

"I think Soojin would appreciate that even more," Miyeon then said with a smile, and Shuhua nods.

' _ I'm telling her the truth _ ' The younger decided. ' _ I'm finishing this letter and telling her the truth _ ' 

Before she could say anything else they were interrupted by Minnie finally coming back with a pile of food, and Miyeon quickly stood up to help her. 

"The line was huge! It was like half of the park decided to buy food at the same time!" The girl said as she sat by the table and handed over the cup of soda to Shuhua followed by the hotdogs; The younger ate in silence while the couple talked with each other, still thinking of the best way she should tell Soojin; She wasn't stupid and knew the other girl would be rightfully upset but she was planning to do whatever it takes to earn her forgiviness. 

She glanced at the pair next to hair and watched as Minnie was feeding her fries to Miyeon who was also doing the same to her girlfriend as they smiled to each other, as expected, forgetting that Shuhua was there with them. 

_ I see.  _

  
  


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Sadly she couldn't spend the rest of the weekend with Soojin as she was out with her family on some last minute family gathering and so Shuhua's plan of telling the other the truth was delayed to the next day which wasn't the best, she didn't wanted to drop the bomb to Soojin on a school day, The girl had so much going on with practices and homework that the Taiwanesse felt bad about what she was about to do. 

Right now she was in the locker room tying up her shoes as she sighs; The plan was to take Soojin home, talk to her, hopefully she wouldn't get her dad to kill her after she tells her the truth, she was expecting to be yelled at, maybe Soojin might hit her which she'll understand. 

' _ But what if she cries? _ ' Shuhua froze on the spot, she doesn' think she can handle if Soojin cried, especially because of her. ' _ Why the heck did I came up with this stupid lie?! _ ' The girl asked herself before opening her bag and seeing her diary, unlocking it to pick up the pages where she wrote the letter for the older, After Miyeon's words from before it suddenly became easier to write how she felt; She would give Soojin the letter, tell her to only read it at home and then tell her the truth, if things go as planned then the letter might easy up whatever murderous instinct the older might have towards her; She put the diary inside her back just in time as the locker room's doors open and she saw Tzuyu walk in. 

"Hey-"

"Shuhua can you please help me?" The girl asked and the younger frowned as she stood up. 

"What happened?" 

"Well, Hui offered to help with the play, you know that" The younger nods. "But now he and the rest of the club are arguing over… well, everything and I really don't know how I'm supposed to handle that so I called you" Shuhua wasn't exactly a part of the club, but bossy enough to tell them to keep quiet and so she was the best option in Tzuyu's head.

"I swear to god-" Shuhua started as she quickly placed her bag on the floor and followed Tzuyu to the auditorium. 

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Thankfully it wasn't an actual argument, just petty bickering between Hui who was trying to help versus the theater kids being against any changes about the play, So Shuhua was quick to stop them from continuing just in time as Soojin walked into the auditorium, confused by the whole thing as she quickly made her way towards Shuhua, wrapping her arms around the younger's waist. 

"What happened?"

"Nothing, Nothing."Shuhua was quick to tell her. "Just a disagreement" Soojin arched an eyebrow, not fully convinced but decided to let it pass as she just shrugs.

"Walk me home today?" The older girl asked and Shuhua took a deep breath, knowing how things would turn out in a few minutes; She eventually nodded. 

"Of course" She replied. “I just need to pick up my stuff from the locker room and we can go” Soojin nodded and watched as the taiwanesse say goodbye to the others before they walked back to the locker room; Soojin was quiet that day, tired from all the practice and Shuhua could tell and she was starting to feel her courage from before start to vanish.

‘ _ no! I have to tell her _ ’ she tells herself as they walk into the locker room; Shuhua quickly went to pick up her bag that was on top of her locker, before turning to Soojin and giving her girlfriend a smile before they walked out.

  
  


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“Sometimes I wanna give up being a cheerleader,” Soojin complained. “It is not worth the back pain” She complained and Shuhua smiled before leaning to kiss the older’s head, softly. 

“But you always do a good job” Shuhua replied, stroking her hair as she said that. “Plus you look great in the uniform” She joked, earning a playful slap from Soojin as they kept on walking. 

“How was the weekend with Miyeon and Minnie?” The older asked, curious. “I’m surprised I didn’t get any complaints of you trying to choke one of them”

“It was fun, with the exception of the parts where they would forget I was there and would be lovey dovey and-”Shuhua makes a disgusted face. “When I would catch them kissing. God, the audacity to do that near me” She added, making Soojin laugh. 

The rest of their walk was either filled with small jokes or comfortable silence but once Shuhua saw Soojin’s house, she knew she had to start speaking about the issue she walked into; They stopped in front of Soojin’s house and Shuhua tugged at the strap from her bag, considering taking her letter right now and giving it to the older, but before she could say anything, Soojin was quicker.

“I think dad is sick” The older mumbled, looking down and Shuhua subtly looked at the sky, almost asking out loud if this was some sick joke god was playing with her. “My parents won’t say anything but when we went out he was so tired” she said, clearly worried and the grasp Shuhua had on the bag was suddenly weak as she then wrapped her arms around Soojin to comfort her.

“Don’t worry, I’m sure he’s just tired from work” The younger said, how was she supposed to say anything? let alone give her a letter. “It can happen”

“Mhm” Soojin mumbled against her neck and Shuhua held her tighter, kissing the top of her head and deciding to tell her tomorrow, when Soojin wasn’t so tired and worried. “Thank you” Soojin said, looking up to her with a smile and Shuhua smiled back at her.

“No problem” Shuhua held her face in her hands and gave Soojin a quick kiss. “I’ll always be here for you, no matter what”


	56. Chapter 56

"Are you okay? You look down" Minnie asked as soon as Shuhua walked into the kitchen, from what the taiwanesse could see the older girl was currently into yet another kitchen adventure, already making dinner for them. "Did you and Soojin argue?"

Shuhua shakes her head before moving to sit by the kitchen counter, placing her bag on top of it, she opened the external pockets of the bag and pulled the letter she was meant to give to Soojin, Minnie seemed to notice because she frowned.

"Isn't that for Soojin?"

"Her dad is sick," Shuhua replied. "It didn't feel right to give it to her in a moment like this" She added and Minnie nodded, understanding.

"That sucks, but I get the feeling this isn't the only reason why you're looking like such a sad puppy" The older said, turning off the stove and turning around to give the younger her full attention. "Come on, you can talk to me?"

"I… I told Soojin something" She started, measuring her words. "Like… a lie and I don't know how to tell her the truth" 

"How bad is the lie?" Minnie asked, leaning over the counter and watching as Shuhua played with the edges of the letter. "I hope you didn't cheat-"

"No, Not that type of lie!" Shuhua said right away, and Minnie nodded, relieved. "But I can't tell you what it is until I tell Soojin first"

"I understand but what makes you so worried?"

"What if she gets upset at me?"

"Well, it's a consequence you have to face for lying," Minnie replied, sincere. "But the fact that you're willing to tell the truth yourself shows you're guilty and regrets it and I'm sure she'll realize that" 

"I don't want her to break up with me," Shuhua said and Minnie poked her cheek.

"I doubt she will, not when Soojin looks at you like you're something so precious" The older girl said and then laughed. "Seriously you can see the honey dripping from her eyes every time she looks at you. I think just you doesn't notices it" 

Shuhua let those words sink in, they have been doing a good job talking with each other and despite the possibility of Soojin murdering her tomorrow morning because of her lie, she knows the other may still be upset to listen to her and have her apologize; As long as she can explain herself, that's enough for Shuhua. 

"I think you're worrying too much about what might happen after when you should just focus on being honest to her" Minnie said. "I don't mean to be the nagging older sister but whatever happens you know you have to accept and deal with" 

"I know" Shuhua mumbled. "I still worry"

"Come on, don't overthink. Everything will be fine, You can always talk to her tomorrow" Shuhua nodded, it was true but still didn't make her any less anxious. "Now come over here so you can tell me if this tastes good" Minnie said while Shuhua quickly stood up and made her way to the stove to have a taste of whatever Minnie was cooking. 

  
  
  


" _ Hey _ " She heard Yuqi say on the other side of the phone; Hours after dinner there she was alone in her room scrolling through everyone's posts until Yuqi had decided to call her; The taiwanesse glanced at the clock on the wall. It was already 1 am. 

"Hey" Shuhua replied; There was a silence between them. Both girls wanted to apologize for fighting but also wanted to hear it from the other first, always the prideful duo; Before Yuqi could say anything, Shuhua was the first to break the awkward silence. "I'm sorry" She said.

"I'm sorry too" Yuqi replied right away. "I get why you did what you did, even if I don't agree with it" She spent the past days having a really hard time being able to keep a conversation with Soojin because of Shuhua's lies, The feeling of guilty for playing along the lie was hanging above her head and became a dead weight on her shoulders every time she looked at her; Soojin looked so happy that any intent Yuqi had of telling her the truth eventually died, she was starting to accept she was just as much of a liar as Shuhua. "I still don't think is right but-"

"I'm telling her the truth once we're at school," Shuhua decided to announce.

Yuqi was caught off guard by that. "Really?" 

"Yes, She's my girlfriend and I want to protect and take care of her" The taiwanesse sighed. "Lying to her isn't the way to do that"

"Are you going to tell her who it was?"

"I don't know yet." She was being honest. "First I want to get this lie out of the way and then I'll deal with the rest after" There's a pause. "What about you?"

"I worry Soyeon won't take my feelings seriously if I tell her," Yuqi said. "What if she breaks up with me?" 

"Then I'll help you get back with her again," Shuhua smiled. "It's the least I can do"

"Well, then I'll do the same when Soojin kicks your ass"

"what do you mean 'when?' are you that sure she'll try to kill me?" 

"Of course I am, You two had a fight because you bumped on her and broke her nail once remember?" Yuqi laughed as she thought back of that moment.

"That was before she fell for my charms-"

"She even threw the trash bin at you!" Shuhua groaned as she heard Yuqi laugh on the other side. 

"Hey! Didn't Soyeon pick an anime character over you?"

"Hey! That was one time and don't come for her taste like this-" 

"Oh my god now you're defending her weebness" Shuhua mocked. "What else are you gonna do? make a couple cosplay with her next?"

"Shut up!" Yuqi said, it was for the best if she didn't bring up how that's exactly what Soyeon wanted to do in the following month. 

  
  


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"Here!" Minnie told Shuhua, throwing the car keys in her reaction, which the younger was quick to catch mid air. "Go before me, I have to call my mom" She told her and the younger dramatically gasps and places her hand on her chest, making Minnie smile. 

"You're trusting me with your car? Woah, You must really love me" The younger jokes. "Also, you're calling your mom? is everything ok?"

“yes, everything is fine don’t worry.” The girl said. “Don’t tell the others but-”

“Oh so now you’re having secrets too”

Minnie laughed. “Shut up! Anyways, I was planning on all of us going to thailand on school break, so everyone can meet my family”

Shuhua gasped. “No way! That's so cool!”

“I know, I just need to call them up and plan everything. I just know mom’s gonna love it” Minnie said.

“I can stay and help”

“No.”Minnie said and Shuhua frowned. “I know you’re using me as an excuse to not go to school and talk to Soojin, now go, go”

“Fine” Shuhua rolled her eyes. “You know me too much…”

“It’s been 3 years of friendship, now bye bye. See you in a few minutes” Minnie said as Shuhua waved her goodbye before making her way out.

  
  


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Shuhua drove all the way to school already planning a whole speech to give Soojin once she gets the chance to talk to the girl, torn between starting with an apologize or save it for after she tells her the truth and makes sure she’s alive until the end; Maybe she should buy Soojin a snack first, make sure she’s happy before angering her or hurting her feelings; She parked the car and took a deep breath as tries to ignore how her hands were starting to sweat.

To her surprise, there wasn’t many people outside and she had to check her her phone to make sure she wasn’t late because she spent too much time overthinking about the whole Soojin situation; She made her away across the hallways, ignoring the sea of students until she noticed a lot of people in front of the notice board. 

‘ _ Oh… Is it the results of the surprise exam? _ ’ She put her phone inside her jacket’s pocket before making her way there, but someone stood in front of her. Tzuyu.

“Hey, what’s the fuss all about?” She asked before laughing at the crowd.

“Shuhua… You might not want to see this” It’s all Tzuyu said.

She couldn’t deny she felt a shiver down her spine at those words, that couldn't mean anything good, especially but how distressed the other girl looked; Ignoring the other’s words, she just quickly moved across the crowd, pushing people aside to look at the notice board and she could feel all of her body froze as she stared at the light pink pages with black roses drawn on the bottom. 

It was the pages from her diary. 

All over the notice board.

‘ _ no, this has to be a nightmare _ ’ the taiwanesse told herself before she quickly grabbed her bag, opening it quickly only to realize that her diary wasn’t there anymore; She looked at Tzuyu.

“Who put this here?!”

“I have no idea, once we got here it was all over the notice boards” The other said, Shuhua looked around not knowing what to do as she felt more and more anxious once she realized something. 

“Did Soojin see any of this?”

“I don’t know. I didn’t see her today”

“Just… If you see her, please don’t let her see this ok?” The girl nodded as Shuhua looked around. “I’ll find the others-”

“Yuqi is at the cafeteria I think”

Shuhua didn’t need to hear the words twice before quickly making her way across the students staring at her, some laughing; She tries not to feel anxious, and instead focused on ignoring the memories of back when she was just the foreign girl with trouble understanding others. As she runs down the hallway, she ends up bumping on Yuqi who looked just as surprised as her.

“Shuhua!”

“Yuqi, I-”

“What’s with the diary pages-”

“Have you seen Soojin?” She asked, feeling her hands shaking. “I can’t let her see those pages”

“I haven’t seen her. Maybe she won’t come to school today” Yuqi replied, hoping her words would calm the younger, but it didn’t. “We can just focus on taking those pages down and-”

“No, you don’t understand! The whole school already read them!” Shuhua interrupted. “I wrote  _ everything  _ in that diary!”

“Everything…?” It didn’t take much for Yuqi to process those words and what they meant and Shuhua just looked even more guilty. “Shuhua, You-”

“I’m so sorry, I’m-” Yuqi started to walk away before she could hear the other. “Where are you going?!”

“I’m going after Soyeon!” It’s all the chinese girl said before quickly walking away and leaving Shuhua alone. 

  
  


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Yuqi made her away across the people, from the last text she got from Soyeon, the girl was in the locker room and so she knew she had to get there as soon as possible. 

“Soyeon!” She called as soon as she opened the doors of the locker room, looking around trying to find the older girl, she found Soyeon sitting by the benches near the lockers, with one of the diary pages in her hands and Yuqi felt her heart skip a beat for a second once she noticed. “Soyeon what are you doing-”

“Someone put this in my bag” The girl replied, quietly, staring at the page before looking up to Yuqi who gulped as she could recognize the hurt in her eyes. “Is it true?”

“What-... No! Whatever is on that page is not true, I swear” The girl replied right away and Soyeon stood up with a frown.

“So you didn’t start to date me out of pity?” The girl asked and Yuqi opened her mouth only to close it again, there was no point in lying even if she had developed feelings for Soyeon; It doesn’t matter when she could tell the other had already realized what had happened months ago. 

“Soyeon… No-” She tried, wanting to tell her how things had changed and how her feelings for her were real, honest and how much she truly liked her but the other stepped closer.

“Tell me you didn’t date me out of pity then” She challenged, and Yuqi stayed quiet; Her silence was enough of an answer but the other kept going.

“Tell me the only reason you accepted to go out with me wasn’t because Shuhua never liked you back”

  
  


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Shuhua managed to take as many of the pages as she could, there was still no sign of Soojin and so the girl held onto the hope that she wouldn’t come to school today and find out about what happened in the worst way possible; Right now, she wanted to get rid of those pages, tear them apart and throw them away. She felt stupid, she could still remember Yuqi’s words telling her to not bring the stupid diary to school and yet there she was. 

Then she found Miyeon inside one of the empty classrooms, and it was like a bucket of cold water was dropped on top of her once she noticed the girl with some pages of her diary in her hands and a frown between her eyebrows as she read the words, without thinking twice she walked in.

“Miyeon-Unnie!”

She didn’t react to her presence at all and just kept reading it, her frown only increasing and so Shuhua walked towards her, trying to grab the pages from her hands only for Miyeon to forcefully push her away, surprising the taiwanesse. 

“ _ Miyeon is an idiot _ ” The girl read the words in the pages and Shuhua closed her eyes. “ _ There isn’t a day that I don’t think how much I hate her, and her stupid sweetness _ ” She continued without looking at Shuhua. “ _ she thinks we’re friends but I hate her around me _ ”

“Miyeon…” She tried again, she knew what was written in those pages, written in a moment of anger that she never really thought anyone but herself would see and now there was Miyeon reading them outloud to her; The older ignored her once and again and kept reading the following words.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


“ _ Because of her, Minnie-Unnie will never love me back” _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys might wanna reread the fic after this one. ;)


	57. Chapter 57

**2016**

  
  


_ [...] _

_ As for Shuhua she walks around looking to the piece of paper in her hands and at the books on the shelf, frowning as she wasn't quite sure if she should be upset at the Korean language or Yuqi's ugly handwriting; The girl squeals once finds one of the books, and making sure it was the correct one. However it was too high up for her to reach, even on her tiptoes and she even tried jumping. _

_ "Do you need help?" She heard someone ask with a hand being gently placed on her shoulder; She turned around and saw the tall, black haired girl looking at her with a gentle smile, bangs almost covering her eyes. _

_ "I-...” Shuhua pauses for a second, taking in the fact that this girl was so pretty “Yes" She admitted and the other chuckles as she easily reached for the book. "Woah! you're tall!" She said and the other laughed as she handed her the book. _

_ "My name is Kim Minnie," The older said with the prettiest smile Shuhua had ever seen, especially the way her eyes squinted as she did it. "You're the new kid right? the one who walks around with the cute girl" _

_ "Yeah, That's Yuqi, My best friend!" The girl replied. "She's picking some books with me! But… Korean is hard"  _

_ "Oh, I can help if you want" _

_ "Oh, thank you so much! Kim Minnie- Unnie!" She said, feeling her heart racing faster as the seconds went by. _

_ Is this what love at first sight feels like? _

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_ Minnie was just her style. She was calm and mature but also playful and cool, with an easy smile on her lips as she greeted everyone she saw on the school's hallway. Minnie was everyone's favorite unnie/noona and Shuhua could tell why everytime she looked at her. Minnie was smart and would always help her with her korean, reading along with her and stroking her hair with her hand softly as she praised her, which had Shuhua's heart almost bursting from happiness.  _

_ "Those are for you" She managed to say despite her shyness as gave the older girl the cookies she baked for her with the help of the girls from the cooking club, which she had joined because her mother had said it was ladylike and boys like girls that can cook well. _

_ But Shuhua didn't care about what boys liked, she wanted to be someone Minnie liked.  _

_ "I baked them myself" Shuhua added, feeling her cheeks burn as Minnie looked at her with the sweetest smile as she took the cookies. "I hope you like it. It's a thank you for taking care of me, Unnie" _

_ "Thank you!" Minnie replied, bowing to the younger. "You didn't have to" She said, undoing the ribbon on the plastic bag and taking one of the cookies so she could take a bite. "It's really good. Great Job, ShuShu"  _

_ Shuhua smiled at the older, she loved the nickname Minnie had given to her. _

_ "Are you… going to sit with us today?" She asked, timid and Minnie looked over Shuhua's shoulder and glanced at her table where Yuqi was sitting with her arms crossed, glaring at them and that was enough for the older to realize the other girl didn't want her there but Shuhua was too oblivious to notice that. _

_ "Maybe later, ok?"  _

_ Shuhua nods, smiling as she felt Minnie hold her hand and give it a gentle squeeze before she walked away to sit with some of the basketball team's members while Shuhua made her way back to Yuqi who was quietly playing with her food.  _

_ "She couldn't sit with us today,” Shuhua said with a sigh and Yuqi shrugs. _

_ “That’s too bad” _

_ “Yeah…” The younger said, watching Minnie from her table and she couldn’t help but smile seeing the older girl laughing while talking to her friends, probably because of something they have said; Meanwhile Yuqi could only watch Shuhua in silence as she played with her own food _

  
  
  


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_ “woah” It’s the first thing Minnie said once Shuhua came out of the locker room with her basketball uniform; The older girl suppressed a smile at how cute and tiny she looked. “You’re looking really cute” _

_ Shuhua frowned. “Cute?” _

_ She didn’t join the team to look cute, she wanted to look cool so Minnie would like her, and not to look at her and think of a cute little sibling. How was she supposed to win her heart like this? _

_ Minnie laughed, Noticing how the word bothered her. “You’ll look cool once you-” She reached for the younger girl’s shirt, tugging on it gently. “Grow into the uniform” She added, finding it adorable how big it looks on her.  _

_ When Shuhua had decided to leave the cooking club for the basketball team instead, the girls from the club were sad and almost convinced her not to do it but the idea of spending more time with Minnie was still the better option for her; At home, however, her mom wasn’t very happy about her decision and ranted for solid 20 minutes about how that wasn’t for girls but at least her father was excited and would constantly tell her about his high school stories as the captain of his school’s basketball team.  _

_ Yuqi didn’t look that excited by the news and Shuhua had no idea why, the girl has been acting weird since the past few months and she couldn’t understand the reason behind that; The only moment she was behaving like usual was back when they’re at Shuhua’s house, playing games. _

_ “Do you think I’ll do a good job?” Shuhua then asked, nervous about being part of the team. Minnie just smiled brightly at her. _

_ “Of course you will. You just need to practice a lot” The older replied and then pats her head. “Now let’s go to our first practice! I’ll make sure to help you” _

_ “Thanks” Shuhua replied, trying to keep calm when Minnie put her arm over her shoulders as they made their way towards the basketball court. _

  
  


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_ “Are you seriously still mad at me?” _

_ Yuqi munches on her cookie in silence, everyone was having a good time in this christmas event and after being forced to dress up as olaf, she even had to endure seeing Shuhua and Minnie walking around like they’re on a date or something. The only happiness she had was when Seo Soojin, one of the cheerleaders, gave her a mug of hot chocolate and some cookies for her hard work, which just meant she felt bad the girl was wearing a ridiculous costume and wanted to make up for it somehow.  _

_ “Yuqi!” Shuhua called again, frowning.  _

_ “What?” _

_ “Why are you even upset?” _

_ “You’re sharing secrets with Minnie and forgetting about me, your best friend!” The chinese girl said, putting her mug to the side.  _

_ That wasn’t the actual truth, not totally. Yeah, she hated the fact that Shuhua has been telling Minnie stuff that she won’t tell her when she has been her confident since middle school, but also hearing from Minnie that Shuhua was liking someone was not something she wanted to hear anytime soon and she hoped her suspicions aren’t true otherwise her christmas is ruined.  _

_ “I was going to tell you” The other said. “Minnie just happened to be the first one I told you and-... You know what, this is not a competition” Shuhua said. “You two are both my friends!” _

_ ‘I don’t wanna be just your friend.’ Yuqi wanted to say but couldn’t, not after knowing Shuhua was liking someone else. _

_ Plus, confessing her feelings for the girl she liked while wearing a stupid Olaf costume wasn’t in her plans anytime soon. _

_ “Whatever” It’s all she mumbled, finishing her drink before standing up from the bench they were sitting on. “I’m gonna get out of this stupid costume” She said and Shuhua nodded. _

_ “Minnie and I will be waiting for you in the parking lot,” Shuhua said while the other walked away. “Seriously… What’s wrong with you?” She asked herself as she watched Yuqi walk away. _

  
  


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_ “So… Yuqi really was upset” Shuhua told Minnie once they were together by the parking lot. The other giggled. _

_ “I told you”  _

_ “I just don’t know why, She wasn’t that sensitive before” Shuhua replied, crossing her arms. “Also… can I ask you something?” She asked, feeling shy by the question she had.  _

_ “What is it?” _

_ “Hm… Do you and… Soojin-Unnie… You know-” _

_ Minnie laughed. “Oh gosh, no. no! I mean, she’s pretty but not my type at all” She quickly said. “Our flirting isn’t that serious and she knows that” especially because Minnie was aware Soojin knew she had interest in someone else.  _

_ Shuhua nods, still not feeling that convinced about it but decided to keep that for herself.  _

_ “Do… Do you think I’m someone’s type?” She asked, curious about the other’s answer, but also wanting to know if she could get a hint of the kind of girl Minnie would like. _

_ “You?” Minnie tilted her head to the side. “You’re still a baby, don’t worry about that yet” She said, ruffling the younger’s hair. “Is anyone trying anything, because I need to approve it first!” She added, crossing her arms and acting tough which made Shuhua giggle as she shakes her head.  _

_ “No, It’s not that… Don’t worry” Shuhua replied and Minnie nodded, knowing the girl wouldn’t lie to her about this. _

_ As for Shuhua she just smiled and paid attention to whatever Minnie was talking, planning about how she would prove to the older that she wasn’t a baby and just the right girl for her; _

_ ‘I know I’ll win your heart’ She thought as she smiled at the older. ‘just give me some time and I’ll prove it’ _


	58. Chapter 58

**2017**

  
  


**[...]**

  
  
  


_ "This is Shuhua! My friend" The Thai smiled as she placed both of her hands on Shuhua's shoulders, who felt like a dog being used to get a beautiful girl's phone number at the park or something.  _

_ Miyeon gave her a genuine, sweet smile and Shuhua smiled back, shy, before she looked at Minnie who looked mesmerized by the other girl and the sight was enough for Shuhua to feel her heart hurt before she looked at Miyeon again, looking at her up and down. Looking for what Miyeon had that she didn't.  _

_ She was pretty. In a princess kind of way, like one of the actresses she saw in the korean dramas her mother has been watching nowadays; Miyeon was taller than her and Shuhua wondered if Minnie liked tall girls.  _

_ "She's part of the basketball team!" Minnie said, suddenly and Shuhua just realized they were casually talking to each other while she was spacing out and turns out Minnie had a good time talking to Miyeon while using her as a topic for their conversation. "We both are actually" _

_ "Minnie will be our next captain," Shuhua said, proud of the older girl who just chuckled and mumbled something about it not being 100% confirmed yet.  _

_ "That's really cool," Miyeon said, Looking from Minnie to Shuhua. "You two look really talented" _

_ Minnie blushed at the compliment. "T-Thank You" There was hesitance in her actions before she spoke up again. "uh, Unnie what about we go out-" _

_ Shuhua quickly interrupted, knowing where this was going. "Minnie, we should go now. We'll be late"  _

_ "Oh…" The thai looked at Shuhua and then back at Miyeon. "Oh yeah you're right. Sorry, Miyeon-Unnie. We have to go now"  _

_ "It's ok. We can talk later" The girl replied before she turned to Shuhua. "It was nice meeting you, Shuhua" She said, with the same sweet smile and Shuhua fought the urge to frown.  _

_ "Me too" She replied and as they quickly bow to each other, the duo leaves while Miyeon walks away; Once they're out of reach from the older girl, Minnie sighed loudly. _

_ "Gosh! She's so pretty" She said and Shuhua nodded. She was and the younger hated it as much as the dreamy look in Minnie's eyes. "My hands are sweating!" She said, grabbing Shuhua's hands to show her.  _

_ "I didn't think you liked her that much" The younger said.  _

_ "Yeah, But she probably doesn't like me back" The girl said as they walked and Shuhua didn't reply this time. _

_ 'I hope she doesn't.' It's all she could think.  _

  
  
  


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_ When she entered highschool, Yuqi's plans was to just stick with Shuhua like she did back in middle school, go to the same clubs and play video game at home, now the girl was standing alone in front of her locker while Shuhua was off somewhere else, probably following Minnie around like she always does; A few months ago Shuhua had told her about how happy she was that she managed to get in the basketball team. _

_ Yuqi decided not to tell her about how she was planning on entering the cooking club too just so they could be together for a few extra hours before going home.  _

_ As much as she said she isn't, The chinese girl can' help but feel this is a competition and she's losing to someone who's not even trying to take the taiwanesse girl from her and that only adds up to her frustration but she tries her best to not Shuhua noticed anything and it worked, she didn't; Or maybe she was just too oblivious.  _

_ "Yuqi! Yuqi!" She heard Minnie call her and held back a tired sigh. _

_ "What?" She asked, without looking. _

_ "We have great news!" It was Shuhua who said it this time and the other turned around, a little bit worried about what the good news was about. _

_ Minnie put her arm around Shuhua's shoulder and pointed at Yuqi. "Yeh Shuhua is our new basketball team's captain!" The older girl announced and Yuqi looked at Shuhua, surprised. _

_ "For real?" _

_ "Yeah!"  _

_ The Taiwanesse pulled both girls into a hug as they congratulated her over this achievement, ignoring the other students passing by and looking at them weird; Yuqi was happy for Shuhua and seeing her smile so brightly and for a moment she forgot any grudge she had against Minnie.  _

_ However she knew, deep down, that those news meant that they would be spending more and more time together and she doesn't know how else to keep Shuhua from slipping through her fingers. _

  
  
  


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_ "... Are you wearing perfume?"  _

_ Shuhua ignored the question and kept on brushing her hair, ignoring Yuqi leaning closer and sniffing near her shoulder, frowning at the sweet strawberry scent. That was weird, the chinese thought. Shuhua hated strawberries; She leaned over a bit to look at Shuhua and frowned even more. _

_ "... Shuhua you're wearing makeup?!" She asked, shocked once she noticed the younger girl's lipstick.  _

_ "I'm just trying to be prettier" 'Like Miyeon.' She thought and stared at Yuqi. "Is it… bad?" _

_ "No!" Yuqi's ears turned pink once she noticed how high she spoke as well as the subtle voice crack. "You look pretty… Beautiful even" She added, trying to sound as casual as possible. "Huh… Are you going out or something?"  _

_ Shuhua shaked her head. "No, I just wanted to see if I could use makeup and look nice" _

_ "Well… "Yuqi coughs. "You look really nice" _

_ "Miyeon-Unnie invited us to her party," Shuhua said, turning to look at herself in the mirror. "You'll go right?" _

_ "Of course" The older girl replied, mostly because she didn't want to leave Shuhua alone, not with Minnie. "Aunt and Uncle are okay with it?" _

_ "They are since you and Minnie will be there with me" Shuhua said before going to her bed and sitting down. "Also I don't think anything too wild will happen at this party" The whole school knew Miyeon wasn't exactly a crazy party girl so most of the very few parties she threw were calm, just loud music, snacks and non-alcoholic drinks, everyone was used to that by now. _

_ "That's true" Yuqi sat next to Shuhua. "Is Minnie gonna pick you up?" _

_ "She's gonna pick both of us," Shuhua replied. "and I hope you act nice"  _

_ "Hey, You talk like I'm always rude to her" She wasn't. She tried her best to be nice to the older girl but it wasn't her fault jealousy was speaking louder than it should nowadays, she felt threatened both as a friend and as someone who liked the girl sitting next to her. _

_ "Right." Shuhua rolled her eyes. "Just please don't act like she's out to get you or something" _

_ "I'll be on my best behavior!" _

  
  
  


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_ They bumped into each other as Shuhua turned around the corner in a hurry, not wanting to be late for class, and ended up spilling Soojin's drink all over the floor and a bit on her uniform.  _

_ "Oh gosh, I'm so sorry!" The girl was quick to say and Soojin shakes her head. "Do you need me to grab you some tissues, Soojin-unnie?"  _

_ "No, No. It's fine, really" The older girl replied as she picked up the cup from the floor. "But you should pay more attention next time." She said but the smile on her lips was enough indication that she didn't mean anything bad with her words and Shuhua chuckles. _

_ "I'll try, unnie" The younger replied, smiling. Outside her small circle of friends, Seo Soojin was probably one of the nicest people to her; She was always polite and soft spoken and in the very few times they spoke to each other, back when her Korean wasn't as good, the cheerleader was always patient and let her take her time to form a phrase and never looked like she found her accent weird or looked like she wanted to laugh at her struggle. _

_ They weren't friends but Shuhua was starting to think that they should be, since they got along well.  _

  
  


_ "Well, I gotta go now. I'll end up late" Soojin said, walking towards the trash bin and throwing away the now empty cup on it before turning to Shuhua, still smile. "You own me an americano by the way" _

_ Shuhua laughed. "I'll remember that"  _

_ The younger started to walk away until she heard Soojin calling for her again. _

_ "Yes, Unnie?" _

_ The red haired scratched the back of her head. "I forgot to ask but, Do you have Minnie's number? I forgot to save it on my phone" _

_ Shuhua's smile faltered for a second, as she wondered why the other girl would want Minnie's number all of sudden, as for Soojin she didn't want to tell Shuhua she wanted the girl's number because Miyeon wanted her number. It was somewhat embarrassing having to play cupid between them after she had been flirting with Minnie here and there even if it was as a joke and Miyeon already said she didn't really mind.  _

_ "Of course…" Shuhua replied, taking the older girl's phone and while holding back a sigh, she typed Minnie's number. "Here" She said, giving it back and Soojin smiled. _

_ "Thank you" She said. "I see you at Miyeon's party by the way!" She waved her a quick goodbye before walking away while Shuhua stood by the hallway alone. _

_ "Yeah…" _

  
  
  


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_ Miyeon's house was kind of big, But not as big as Minnie's house, but there was so many people in there in their halloween costumes -but also regular clothes- that made the place look smaller than it actually was and Shuhua realized how parties organized by popular people look like and she wasn't quite sure if she liked it or not, she would have to save her judgment to the end of this; Yuqi was right behind her, hand grasping at the hem of her shirt as they squeezed their way through the crowd.  _

_ “God this place is full” Yuqi complained from behind her. “I knew Miyeon-Unnie was popular but this is ridiculous” She said, looking around and being sure that some people there didn’t even attend their school.  _

_ “There really are a lot of people,” Shuhua said. “Do you see Minnie-Unnie anywhere?” She asked, looking around and Yuqi did the same. _

_ The older girl had left them alone for a few minutes to talk to some friends and so Yuqi and Shuhua eventually ended up wandering around, not expecting so many people around; Yuqi couldn’t help but notice Shuhua was all dressed up, makeup and everything as well as a sweet perfume. It was roses or something like that. _

_ ‘Is she trying to impress someone?’ The girl thought, staring at her friend and doing her best to ignore the voice in the back of her head saying that she knew well who Shuhua was trying to impress, but she would rather tell herself it wasn’t like that.  _

_ As for Shuhua, she was trying to keep herself calm and looking forward to seeing Minnie as soon as possible as she had finally gathered the courage to confess her feelings for the older girl that day; After a few minutes of looking for Minnie, and losing Yuqi from her sight in the process she ended up in the kitchen where she saw Taehyung-Oppa with a few bottles on the counter, he smiled once he saw her. _

_ “Hey, Little Shuhua!” _

_ “It’s Shuhua” The girl answered with a frown, not liking boys giving her nicknames. “What’s that?” She pointed at the bottles. _

_ “Special Soda, like… Liquid Courage” The boy replied with a smirk and Shuhua frowned, having no idea what that meant. “Do you want some? It’s great for getting brave!” _

_ Brave. That’s definitely what she needed right now if she wanted to tell Minnie how she felt, so she accepted the bottle from him and took a sip, it tasted weird but she ignored it as she walked away, hearing how he chanted ‘good luck’ to her as she left; Making her way across the people she found Minnie standing by near the staircase while looking at something that Shuhua didn't really paid attention to; She drank more of her soda, ignoring how weird it tasted and made her way to the girl who barely got a glimpse of Shuhua coming over.  _

_ She already had her speech ready when she approached Minnie. _

_ "She's such an angel" _

_ Shuhua froze on the spot at those words and looked at where Minnie was looking and spotted Miyeon talking with Soojin, smiling at each other.  _

_ "I think I'll confess to her" Minnie said, taking a deep breath, she still lacked the courage to actually approach Miyeon. “Actually maybe not today, wait where are you going-?” She asked, noticing Shuhua making her way towards Miyeon who was now alone as Soojin left for somewhere else. _

_ "Miyeon-Unnie” Shuhua called, trying her best to keep her smile. “There's someone who really wants to talk to you" She grabbed Miyeon by the hand before waiting for her answer, dragging the girl to where Minnie, who was already blushing, stood. _

_ M-Miyeon-Unnie, Hi" Minnie said as soon as both girls were in front of her and Miyeon smiled at the way she stuttered. "You… Look pretty today" _

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_ Miyeon blushed before looking down into her own drink. "Thank you… Y-You too"  _

_ "Well, I'll leave you to it" Shuhua said, smiling "Have fun" She taps Minnie's shoulder before walking away, vanishing in the crowd, knowing that by the way they were looking at each other, they wouldn’t really notice that she left.  _

  
  


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_ “Shuhua, I was looking for you!” Yuqi said, once she found the girl in the backyard, Shuhua looked at her and just weakly nodded. “What happened?” _

_ “Nothing, I’m… Just tired, that’s all” The girl said with a sigh, Yuqi touched her shoulder. Knowing that wasn’t the whole truth. _

_ “Come on, tell me what’s wrong. Did something happen?” She asked, But the only thing she got was a hug from Shuhua, which caught her off guard before she could properly hug her back. She wasn’t crying or anything but that didn’t make the chinese girl any less worried about what might have happened to her. “Hey…” She called, worried as Shuhua moved away.  _

_ “You don’t need to worry. I’m fine” Shuhua said, only wanting some comfort even if the other didn’t know why she was comforting her. “Just… thank you for being with me” She said, looking up to Yuqi and smiling.  _

_ Maybe it was the way the moonlight was shining over the younger or for a moment Yuqi forgot any of her fears and hesitations, or maybe it was having Shuhua in her arms like this or maybe she just was delusional, thinking she had a chance, and without thinking twice the girl leaned for a kiss; Shuhua’s eyes went wide and before she could say anything, her body reacted first by turning her face to the side, Yuqi’s lips touching her cheek instead. _

_ “I’m sorry” Shuhua managed to say, still surprised by the other’s action. “I’m… I like Minnie-Unnie” _

_ Yuqi froze on the spot, moving just enough so her lips were no longer against Shuhua’s cheek; The taiwanesse felt the way the other stopped touching her like it burned her hands and how she silently put some distance between them; Those are the least words Yuqi wanted to hear, the ones she feared the most since they first met Minnie in the first place.  _

_ “Yuqi… I’m sorry-” _

_ “I’m…”Yuqi looked around, the feeling of shame starting to get to her as she pointed back to the house. “I’m… going back to the party” She casually said, thankful it was only them in the backyard so nobody would see this rejection, walking away and ignoring Shuhua calling for her.  _

  
  
  


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_ ‘This tastes horrible’ Soojin thought as she made her way downstairs again, feeling her head spin around as she made her way to the backyard, regretting accepting anything from Tae-Oppa when he knocked at the door of the room she was in, she should know better than to trust him; Once out of the house, she noticed someone sitting alone on the grass, Shuhua, Who was also drinking and so Soojin approached her.  _

_ "Are you okay? Do you plan on growing roots there?" She asked playfully to the younger, who looked up to her and just shrugged. “Bad night, huh?” _

_ “You could say so” Shuhua replied, taking another sip and Soojin did the same, not really expecting to find herself drinking with Yeh Shuhua of all people. “This soda tastes really weird” The girl commented, but kept on drinking and Soojin laughed, sitting next to her. _

_ “It’s not really soda you know,” Soojin said, finding her innocence cute, especially as Shuhua frowned as she seemed to realize what she meant. _

_ “Oh…” _

_ “It’s okay” Soojin pats her shoulder. “I’ll keep your secret since” She waved her own bottle. “I’m probably gonna forget everything by tomorrow. I’m not very good with alcohol” _

_ Shuhua decided not to comment that she never really drank before, she didn’t want the older girl to think of her as a baby like Minnie does; In silence the girl simply laid back on the grass and Soojin looked at her, surprised as she was used to always seeing Shuhua being bubbly, especially once she got more comfortable speaking with others.  _

_ “Today must really suck for you” _

_ “It did” _

_ Soojin looked at her before taking a big gulp of her drink, wondering what she should say to the younger when she didn’t even know why she was upset in the first place. _

_ “Well then maybe this can cheer you up” _

_ Shuhua is caught by surprised by the sight of Seo Soojin leaning over her, or the way her lips are pressed against her own and how soft and sweet they were, Shuhua blames it on the alcohol as she lets the older girl kiss her and the fact that she kissed her back, her hand automatically reaching for the back of her neck as she kept Soojin close to her, and the younger realized she liked the taste of her lips a lot.  _

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


_ Too bad for them, neither would remember this in the next day. _


	59. Chapter 59

**2018**

  
  


**[...]**

  
  


_ "It's gonna rain," Yuqi said, looking to the sky before looking at Shuhua munching on her marshmallow, her cheeks looking adorable as always and the chinese girl looked away to keep her feelings in check; The three of them were camping with Mr. Yeh, who was now standing by the lake fishing alongside Minnie as the both of them spoke to each other, they got along well and Yuqi could see how that was enough to make Shuhua's eyes shine. _

_ "I'll just finish this and we can go back to the tent" Shuhua replied, chewing. "Are you having fun?" She then asked the other who nodded.  _

_ "Yes, I am," Yuqi replied. "I like being with you" _

_ "Yuqi…" _

_ "I know, I know… I don't mean anything by it. I swear" _

_ It was still awkward between them, Yuqi hated how Shuhua had to measure her actions around her, she doesn't talk about Minnie as much anymore which was good, but any other physical affection they had was now gone, at least for now.  _

_ "Yuqi, you should come fishing with us" Mr. Yeh said once he and Minnie arrived by the campfire, with a bucket filled of fish for them to toast. "It's relaxing"  _

_ Yuqi nodded but with heavy bags under his eyes, she didn't think the man actually knew what relaxing was, everything always felt like a competition of who's the best, Shuhua was the same especially now that she was the team's captain.  _

_ "Maybe tomorrow uncle" The man nodded at her words before placing the bucket next to his tent, covering it with the lid. _

_ "You guys go into your tent until the rain is over" he told them and so they quickly nodded and made their way inside, Shuhua still chewing on her marshmallow. _

_ Yuqi regrets not bringing her own tent, now she has to deal with the awkward tension between her and Shuhua now that they're sharing a tent with Minnie who was still oblivious to everything and could only sigh to herself because she missed her girlfriend and the chinese girl hates the way she can see those sentences hurt her friend. _

_ "I miss Miyeon" The Thai mumbled as she laid down, closing her eyes and missing the way Shuhua frowned. _

_ “Come on,” Yuqi said, trying to ease the mood. “It’s been what? 3 weeks of dating and you’re already this clingy?” She joked and Minnie laughed. _

_ “When you two have a girlfriend you’ll understand me” Minnie said and Shuhua shaked her head. _

_ “No dating for me, I have better things to do” The youngest said and Yuqi looked away, knowing that was just an excuse she came out to avoid admitting she was just waiting for Minnie and Miyeon to break up, as she was so sure it would happen sooner or later; Meanwhile Yuqi would just stay to the side watching her waiting for someone who would never look at her that way.  _

_ Things really couldn’t get any awkward between them. _

  
  


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**_._ **

_ “Come on, smile” Minnie said, taking a picture of Shuhua who was carrying some branches for the campfire, the younger only frowned instead and Minnie giggled, especially because Shuhua was now wearing her coat which looked a bit too big for her, but somehow Shuhua was still growing. _

_ “You’re supposed to be helping me, not taking pictures!” Shuhua complained and Minnie laughed again before taking another picture. “Minnie!” _

_ “Sorry, you just look adorable with that jacket” The older said between giggles and Shuhua felt her ears burn. _

_ “Shut Up!” The girl mumbled before walking again, being followed by the other. “You’re the unnie, shouldn’t you do the hard work?” _

_ “I’m taking pictures of a very grumpy teenager. That’s hard work” Minnie said, poking her cheek. “When did you get so moody?” She teased and Shuhua rolled her eyes before Minnie actually took some of the branches to help her. _

_ “You guys took too long” Yuqi said as soon as they arrived, with that look on her face that told Shuhua she was being jealous again over the fact that they were spending time alone, she asked herself how she never noticed that before, when Yuqi always made sure that nobody would flirt with her.  _

_ “Shuhua was being moody,” Minnie said. “I think she’s going through puberty again” _

_ Yuqi frowned and then looked at Shuhua who just shrugged before they walked towards the campfire to light up the fire.  _

_ Later that night, when they’re all ready to sleep it’s when Shuhua realized how truly awkward it was to sleep between her crush and her friend who has a crush on her, usually she would just hold hands with Yuqi until she fell asleep but now she’s afraid she might send the wrong message, and now she couldn’t go to close to Minnie without freaking out but thankfully the older didn’t think much of it; And so, hours later, there she was wide awake while the other two slept beside her.  _

_ She looked at Minnie, looking as peaceful as ever as she slept, Probably dreaming about Miyeon or something as she saw her lips move a bit like she was talking in her dreams, without thinking twice the younger reached for her face and pushed her bangs to the side a bit and smiled to herself at how pretty the other was, even now, just sleeping; Shuhua moved closer and looked at her lips for a second, taking a deep breath before leaning over the older, but stopping before her lips could actually brush against Minnie’s. _

_ She felt a tug on her arm and looked over to see Yuqi, asleep, mumbling on her sleep as her hand was naturally reaching for Shuhua’s arm like she always did when she wanted some sense of home, the taiwanesse sigh and shakes her head before laying closer to her friend and closing her eyes, wishing this feeling would go away already. _

  
  
  


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_ "It's a promise ring, she gave it to me last night" _

_ Shuhua stared at Minnie’s hand, on top of her own, staring at the simple yet pretty ring on her finger, the diamond was fake for sure, She assumed Miyeon had to use all her allowance to get it anyway, but somehow it still made Minnie the happiest and for a moment the younger had the urge to take it off her finger and throwing it far away, to keep any reminder that Minnie will never love her out of sight. _

_ "Promise ring?" She asked, unsure.  _

_ "She promised to always love me" The older replied, Smiling wide.  _

_ "That's-" She felt like throwing up.  _

_ "Cute?" Minnie suggested, as always oblivious to it and with the cutest smile on her face, and it wasn’t because of her, it was because of Miyeon.  _

_ "Gross" Shuhua faked a laugh before she pushed Minnie’s hand away, not wanting to see that ring anymore. "I thought that with time you two would stop being so clingy with each other"  _

_ "Ah don't be like that!" Minnie laughs. "Once you find a girlfriend too then you're gonna be just like me!"  _

_ ‘I don’t want any other girlfriend’ Shuhua thought. ‘I just want you’  _

_ When will this feeling stop? _

  
  
  


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_ “How do I look?” Minnie asked, nervous as she turned around to show her whole outfit. Shuhua smirked. _

_ ‘Beautiful’ Shuhua thought, sitting on Minnie’s bed as they are currently in the older’s house, preparing for the night, or well, Minnie’s night. _

_ “You look cool,” She said, crossing her arms. “Miyeon will be like ‘woah! you’re so beautiful!” or something like that” She added and the other smiled. _

_ “I hope so” She said and then paused. “Woah, we really are dating for 8 months already!” She said with a huge smile and Shuhua smiled as well. _

_ ‘The worst 8 months of my life’ The younger thought, still smiling because at least she gets to see Minnie dressed up so prettily.  _

_ “Thank you for helping by the way,” Minnie said, sitting next to the younger. “With dinner and everything, I’m sure Miyeon will love it” _

_ “I know she will,” Shuhua said before being surprised by Minnie hugging her and she quickly hugged her back, she wanted to be happy for her, happy that she was so happy with Miyeon and that the elder treated her right and as something so precious but all her mind could focus was on how it should be her being with Minnie instead. _

_ ‘Please, make this feeling go away’ she thought to herself, as she felt her heart ache, hours later as she watched Minnie wave at her before entering Miyeon’s car, who soon enough drove away while the taiwanesse stood by the front door, alone. _

  
  
  
  
  


_ ‘Will I ever get over you, Minnie?’ _


	60. Chapter 60

**2019**

_ ‘hm.’ _

_ Then Miyeon glanced her way and quickly raised her arms. “You said no kissing, nothing about cuddling!” The older girl quickly defended herself and Minnie looked at her as well and smiled while Shuhua just rolled her eyes and looked out the window again. _

_ She repressed the need to smile to herself as the sight of seeing the two of them being affectionate with each other didn’t make her upset anymore. _

_ So this is what having moving on feels like, huh? She thought to herself, thinking back of Soojin again and feeling this warmth inside her heart that she usually only felt with Minnie back in the way, despite not wanting to be here at first, scared of what she might feel around them again. This was the confirmation she needed. _

_ ‘Minnie-Unnie, I have finally moved on from you’ _

  
  
  


**xxx**

  
  


With her earpods on and hands busy typing on her phone, Minnie made her way across the school's hallway, not really bothering to look around and at the people glancing and giggling until she finally noticed the crowd in front of the notice board. Hui was in front of it and the girl took off the airpods to understand what's going on. 

"Come on, Hui. It's just a peek" One of the boys from the swimming team said, his friends nodding along as they laughed. 

"I said no! Back off, This is not funny!" The boy replied, standing in the way to keep anybody else from looking, then his eyes went wide once he noticed Minnie approaching them.

"Hey, what's going on?"

"Noona, I didn't know you're such a heartbreaker" Minnie heard one of them say and could only frown in confusion.

"What are you talking about-"

"Hey! Stop that!" Hui interrupted, after seeing Shuhua so upset over those pages he was currently trying his best to keep anybody else from reading them until he could take those down in peace, but some people had already taken pictures and passed around like some kind of sick joke.

"What is going on?" She asked Hui and then glanced at the notice board. "...What is that?" 

"Nothing-"

"Bullshit... Come on, let me see it-" Before he could do anything she had already pushed him to the side and looked at the pages on the notice board.

She could recognize Shuhua's handwriting everywhere, for a long time she had joked about how the taiwanesse had the straightest handwriting, so once she put her eyes on the diary pages spread all over the board, she felt her mouth dry as she read what was in there.

_ Minnie-Unnie will never love me back. _

She reads and rereads, hoping she was reading it wrong, maybe it was Shuhua's korean, Right? She must have used the wrong word, she looked at the other page.

_ Minnie-Unnie defended me today… My heart could burst from happiness. She's so cool! I'm so in love with her!! _

"Who… Who put those up?" She asked, turning around to Hui who shrugged.

"No idea. Whoever put those up must have come really early" He then looked down. "I saw Soojin in front of the board reading them before she left in a hurry." He crossed his arms as he thought back of Soojin leaving the school with some papers on her hands."But I didn't think much of what was in it until people started to make a crowd" He explained, thinking that maybe if he went after the girl right away he could've helped.

"So she saw them…" Minnie looked at the pages again. "Do me a favor and take those down, ok?" Hui nodded and then frowned once Minnie started to leave, wondering where the girl was going, but without questioning he started to take the pages down, without looking at them too much, and ignored the people complaining behind him.

  
  
  


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The longer the silence went by, the more Yuqi felt her hands shake as she stared at Soyeon who waited for an answer that she already knew, she was just giving the chinese girl the chance to be honest with her, for once at least, to finally speak the truth to her and Yuqi, despite her feeling of nervousness, knew she had to be sincere if she wanted to fix any of this mess.

“I… I did” Yuqi said, looking down. “I accepted dating you not out of pity, but… you were my friend back then and we got along well and I thought-”

“That I could be a good replacement?” Soyeon suggested, with a humorless chuckle and Yuqi closed her eyes before taking a deep breath, reminding herself to keep on being honest even if she knew her words would hurt Soyeon.

“I wanted to move on from my feelings for Shuhua and I dated you so I could do that,” She admitted and then looked into Soyeon’s eyes. “But I fell in love with you, truly” The girl said, giving a step closer but stopping when Soyeon took a step back, crossing her arms. “Soyeon-”

“Am I supposed to feel better with that?” The older said and Yuqi didn’t know how to reply to that. “am I supposed to forget everything and pretend half of what we had wasn't a lie?”

“That’s not what I said,” Yuqi quickly said. “I just want you to know my feelings are sincere and when I say I love you I mean it” 

“and how many ‘I love you’s were lies?” Soyeon asked, and Yuqi was quiet again. “How many of those you said wishing you were telling  _ her  _ instead?” She pressed and the other didn’t reply which just had Soyeon shaking her head before she turned around, grabbed the diary page and as she crumpled it into a paper ball, she threw it on Yuqi’s chest who flinched. “That’s what I thought” It’s all she said, before grabbing her bag as she started to leave, which had the chinese girl panicking as she quickly followed her.

“Soyeon, wait. where are you going?” She called. “Let’s resolve this, please” She begged, grabbing her arm to keep the girl from leaving, which worked as the older turned around.

“We already did,” She said. “You’re not my girlfriend anymore”

Yuqi felt her body froze as the older pulled her arm from her grasp and quickly made her way out of the locker room without looking back. 

  
  
  


**.**

  
  
  
  
  


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“ _ Because of her, Minnie-Unnie will never love me back _ ”

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Shuhua stood in silence as she watched Miyeon read the sentence, knowing there was no turning back now that the older knew about the truth.

“Miyeon-Unnie-”

“Shut up.”Her tone was harsh, cold even and Shuhua quickly closed her mouth. “I don’t even wanna hear your voice”

She knew Miyeon was angry, of course she was. Who would like to know there was someone else crushing on their girlfriend and wishing for them to break up everyday? Shuhua knew she would have the same reaction; Still, despite being angry, her face remained neutral as she kept on reading the pages in silence and Shuhua knew it was for the best to just let her, even if she knew what was in there.

  
  


“ _ Minnie said I looked great in her jacket _ ” Miyeon reads as she walks across the room and Shuhua could only watch her. “ _ But why did she give it to Miyeon the next week if I looked better on it? I don’t understand; I bet she convinced her somehow, I hate her! I hate her! _ ” 

She wanted to say she didn’t mean those words, that it was written in a moment of anger, pure jealousy and she didn’t actually have any bad intent behind those besides venting all her negative feelings but she also knew Miyeon had no reason to believe in her or on whatever she says. Not anymore.

“Miyeon-Unnie” She tried again and thankfully the older didn’t snapped at her again, she just stood there, looking at the pages, taking in every word. “All of this, doesn’t mean anything anymore I just-”

“You think I’m naive?” Miyeon asked and Shuhua looked at her, confused while the older turned to stare at her, now she could see the anger building up inside her eyes. “You think I never noticed the way you looked at Minnie?” She stepped closer.

Shuhua felt a chill down her spine at those words, always thinking clueless Miyeon would never notice anything and that she was doing a good job at being subtle about it. 

"I-..." She was interrupted by Miyeon again.

"You think I never noticed the way you looked at her?" She started. "Or the way you talked to her?" She came closer to Shuhua who stood where she was. "All the hugs and touches that I ignore because-" She laughed. "There was no way it was like that, Right? I was seeing things that weren't there! You just… admired Minnie a lot, that's all!" 

"Please, let me explain-"

"There was no way you banned me from the team practices to keep me and her away from each other, right?" 

"Miyeon-" 

"There was no way those one-on-one practices you two had after school was just an excuse to be alone with her" Shuhua flinched when she felt the older's hands on her shoulders and then grabbed her by her shirt, which had her quickly grabbing her wrists. "and Try your luck, huh?"

"Miyeon! I would never-" She stops herself, thinking back at the time she almost kissed sleepy Minnie when the girl was already dating Miyeon, as much as she wanted to say she had morals and would never do that. She knew she didn't.

She knew herself, and how she wasn't above destroying their relationship with her own hands.

"Are you enjoying living with her?!" She asked, hands holding her shirt tighter. "Huh? Having a nice time making your moves on my girlfriend" 

"It's not like that!" She said, still holding the older's wrists and struggling to keep her away but the other had a strong grip on her shirt and for a moment she was scared even if she knew Miyeon wouldn't actually hurt her, even if she was angry right now. "I didn't-"

"I don't want you anywhere near Minnie anymore" Miyeon exclaimed, fury in her eyes and her words and Shuhua stared at her with wide eyes, not knowing how to answer that. "I want you away from my girlfriend!" 

  
  
  
  


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Minnie stood nervously in front of Soojin's house, pondering her options and how she should talk with the girl, if she saw those pages and what was in them she could only assume Soojin wasn't going to take it very well, obviously; She knocked at the door more than twice but no answer from Soojin or anybody else in the house. 

Meanwhile, inside the house there was Soojin in the living room, sitting on the floor in front of the couch surrounded by the pages from Shuhua's diary as well as a box where she kept the younger's cute love notes and love cards from before as well, a bottle of beer in her hand as she stared at the fire in the fireplace, considering throwing everything in the fire, let it burn and get rid of any evidence of what she had to read that morning, her mind thinking back of everything she said before.

_ "Are you in love with someone?" Soojin asked before she could stop herself, the words were so precise, so firm and Shuhua looked so certain about what she was talking about that the cheerleader couldn't stop herself from not being curious. Shuhua stares at her in silence and the older wonder if she was overstepping their boundaries, the younger didn't care about her personal life and neither does Soojin so why this question all of sudden. _

_ "Yes, I am" _

  
  


Her Shuhua was in love with someone else, so deeply that she could feel the pain in her handwriting everytime she wrote about how much pain she felt being around Minnie and Miyeon all the time; She glanced at the love notes Shuhua kept on putting inside her locker the past weeks. Was it even real? Was she truly bad at showing how she feels?

She grabbed one of the notes Shuhua gave her.

  
  
  


‘ _ My Soojin, _

_ You have the prettiest eyes _

_ I like you a lot” _

  
  
  


She then glanced at the diary pages near her and read the sentence.

  
  
  


‘ _ Minnie-Unnie has the prettiest eyes in the whole world, I love her so much!!!. _ ’

  
  
  


Or was that an excuse so Shuhua didn't have to lie by pretending she loved Soojin just as intensely as she seemed to love Minnie. 

  
  
  


_ "Minnie is very precious to you, hm?" Soojin asked. _

_ Shuhua looks at her for a second before she nods. "She is…" _

Was she always so oblivious? She tries to think back of any hints, anything at all that might have been a warning.

  
  


_ “I just… want to be alone” Shuhua then said and Soojin tried to ignore the way her words sting; Before she can try and insist there’s a few knocks on the door and soon enough Minnie came in, with a plastic bag full of the junk food Shuhua liked and Soojin smiled, knowing she wasn’t the only one trying to find a way to comfort the taiwanesse. _

_ "Hey, You're awake," Minnie said, to Soojin. "Can you help Miyeon in the kitchen? She insisted on cooking something for Shuhua and as much as I love her I don't trust her all alone in there" Soojin laughed at her honesty and Shuhua smiled, still focusing on unpacking. "I'm pretty sure Yuqi wanted to help too-" _

_ "Ah, They're gonna set the kitchen on fire," Soojin said, worried before looking back at Shuhua and then at Minnie again; She decided to just go help Miyeon instead, there was still time today and Shuhua looked very distracted so things would work as she was planning.  _

_ Still, as she walks out the room and closes the door, catching a glimpse of how Minnie pats Shuhua’s shoulder and the younger smiled. _

The girl snapped out of the thought when she heard a loud thud behind her and turned around just in time to see Minnie, quite literally, fall inside her house by smoothly trying to come from the window after she spent the past minutes trying to break in, hopefully none of Soojin's neighbors called the police on her, not exactly a drama they needed right now. 

"What are you doing here?"

She notices the diary pages all around the younger and shakes her head. 

"I came to see how you are," She told her, approaching her slowly, Soojin laughed.

"How does it feel?"

"huh?"

"How does it feel knowing she loves you so much"

" _ Loved _ " Minnie corrected her. "Not anymore" 

Soojin stood up, almost losing her balance for a second for drinking a bit too much. 

"How do you even know that! She has been lying to all of us for years!" 

"Because I see how Shuhua looks at you," Minnie said. "And the way she speaks about you, whatever feeling you think she might have for me… Doesn't exist anymore" She said, trying her best to convince Soojin who could only frown.

"What are you doing here?" Soojin asked again.

"What do you mean?"

"The whole school saw those pages," Soojin said. "Which means Miyeon also saw them but you're here instead. Why?"

"Because it's what Shuhua would have done for me," Minnie said. "Because she's my friend"

"Who's in love with you"

"Who's in love with  _ you _ " Minnie insisted. “Soojin, I know how you’re feeling-”

“No! You don’t know how I’m feeling!” Soojin Yelled. “All this time I gave all of my heart and my love to her only to realize all I had in return was crumbs. Nothing but a consolation prize” She picked up the box where she kept everything, walking towards the fireplace only for Minnie to quickly stop her, realizing what she was planning. 

“Wait! Hold on, don’t do anything you might regret it, please” Minnie said, trying to grab the box from her, knowing that whatever was in there, it was from the bottom of Shuhua’s heart, despite Soojin not believing it anymore and she knows once the two have the chance to talk to each other, she might regret getting rid of those. 

“Let go!”

“Soojin, please! Try to calm down first” The older said, managing to take the box from her and stopping the younger with a hug before she could do anything else; Maybe it was what Soojin needed right now, because she suddenly stopped struggling and didn’t take long for Minnie to feel her shoulder shaking as she starts to cry, tears staining her shirt. 

“Everything will be okay” The older comforted. “You two will talk and… everything will be alright”

At least she hopes so.

  
  
  
  
  


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Shuhua met up with Hui and Tzuyu in the parking lot after the both of them spent most of their time taking down the diary pages from the school’s notice boards, she was thankful they were helpful and didn’t say anything nasty or any cruel jokes about whatever was on the pages, which was a relief, still doesn’t stopped the others from doing it. 

“What now?" Tzuyu asked, looking around. “Shouldn’t you try to find out who did it?” She asked while Hui nodded, agreeing with the girl. 

“I just… want to go home for now” It’s all Shuhua said, still recovering from everything Miyeon told her earlier. 

“Don’t worry,” Hui said. “I’m sure we will find out soon enough, we already talked with the principal about this. That was way out of line”

Shuhua didn’t reply, but she had an idea of who would be behind all this, but before she could say anything she heard a cough and looked behind, feeling anxious once she noticed Minnie; Tzuyu and Hui must have noticed the change in the atmosphere as the thai girl approached them because they were quick to say their goodbyes and make sure to tell Shuhua they would check on her later. 

“Hey” Minnie said, awkwardly, But for sure not as awkward as Shuhua felt right now, eyes staring at her own shoes. “Shuhua-”

“I don’t feel like that anymore, I promise” The taiwanesse quickly answered, fearing that their friendship was ruined for good like all her other relationships.

“I know,” Minnie said and Shuhua looked at her, surprised. “I was here seeing you fall for Soojin, you know” She added, with a smile and Shuhua did the same until she realized she still needed to talk to Soojin.

“Soojin… she-”

“She saw the pages, yeah” Minnie answered and Shuhua sighed. “I went to talk to her, but I didn’t really convince her to do much besides wait until talking to you” She said, crossing her arms and Shuhua sighed once again. “Not to rub salt on the wound but, you had it coming”

“I know… I should’ve said it sooner but… I was scared she would think it was all fake” Shuhua said. “and now-”

“Now she’s waiting for you,” Minnie said. “You should go talk to her and…”She looks around. “I guess I should find Miyeon. Have you seen her?” She asked.

“No. I haven’t” Shuhua said. “I’ll go see Soojin now” She then announced and Minnie hugged her, caughting the other off guard but still hugged her back. 

“You’ll be okay”

“I hope so”

  
  
  


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She rubbed her hands together as she walked on the sidewalk, making her way towards Soojin’s house, trying to keep herself calm as she became closer and closer to her house, trying to keep her emotions in check and don’t feel too anxious, even if the idea of seeing Soojin right now scared her, she knew she had to keep things between them clean once and for all. 

With hesitant steps she made her way towards the front door and knocked on it, realizing the door was open which meant the other was expecting her, possible because of whatever Minnie had told her before; She found Soojin by the living room, sitting on the couch holding the pink box that the younger knew is where she kept all those love notes she has been writing her. The taiwanesse felt her heart clench at how sad the other looked, even more as she realized it was her fault. 

“Soojin” She called, and the older girl glanced at her, already knowing why she was there, obviously. 

“Shuhua…”

“Let’s talk.”


	61. Chapter 61

**_Dear Diary,_ **

  
  
  
  


_ This is Shuhua speaking, or well, writing.  _

_ It's february 10. 2019; It's 13:37, the sky is clean and the snow is long gone, it would be the perfect day if you ask me, to spend a day in the park would be a must, but far away from the lakes as I'm still nervous around water. I should probably see someone to deal with that in the future. _

_ To whoever is reading this, which I hope is just my own self somewhere in the future or just Yuqi being noisy again, this is a brand new diary as my previous one was stolen… and if you're one of my future children, It's a long story, I'll explain one day when you can hear about it without hating me; This diary has two locks so good luck trying to pry it open, sucker!  _

_ Unless you're my mom, in this case you shouldn't be reading my diary mom! Please put it back where you found it. _

_ A lot of things have changed this year, more than I expected and liked. Minnie Unnie, who's a constant presence not only in this diary but in the old one too, decided to become a lawyer once she graduates. Can you believe that? I bet my dad would love to hear about it, I’ll make sure to tell him once we meet. _

_ Soyeon has decided to become a teacher, and I must confess I never saw it coming but who am I to judge? She seemed sure that that's what she wanted when I talked with Minnie about it. I hope she'll be happy about that choice and I know Yuqi hopes for the same as well, even now; I don’t know much of what Miyeon wanna do after she graduates, according to Minnie she doesn’t talk much about it for now, so she’s probably still figuring it all. That's all. _

_ She has time.  _

_ Ah, yeah. Of course. How can I leave out Soojin, am I right? Well, how do I start with this? Well, she still wants to be a dancer and wants to pursue that career and I’m glad to hear about that. I know she’ll be a great dancer like the type lots of companies will try to get to choreograph for them, she has talent and potential.  _

_ She also broke up with me.  _

_ She couldn’t trust me the same way she did before and honestly? I saw that coming. I broke the trust she had in me by lying when I didn’t have to, when I shouldn’t have to; She was fine waiting for my time to tell her about the person I loved before, she was fine with not knowing. She told me that herself so in the end I lied for nothing, I wanted to ease her worries only to end up breaking her heart and now I lost her for good.  _

_ and it’s all my fault, always thinking I could always get everything I want by doing things my own way without thinking about others, or how I could hurt Soojin the moment I decided to lie to her. I just hope.... _

_ I hope she’ll forgive me someday. _

  
  


“Shu” She looked up to Yuqi who just motioned forward. “It’s our flight now” She said before looking at the diary in her hand. “Another diary?” She asked, watching as the younger stood up, grabbing her luggage and looked at the other.

“Yeah” Shuhua replied, ignoring the way Yuqi frowned. “What? I need to write down my feelings”

“Do it on your phone like someone from the 21 century” The older said as they started to walk away, Shuhua rolled her eyes at the comment but didn’t reply. “It’s bad enough what happened before-”

“I didn’t ask someone to steal my diary, Yuqi.” The taiwanesse replied, rolling her eyes once again. “Also, I’m surprised your dad let you come with me”

He didn’t. But Shuhua didn’t know that, Yuqi didn’t told her how she lied to her dad saying she was going back to China to visit her mom again, she knew that if she told him they were going to Taiwan, to never come back, he would lock her inside the house and she wouldn’t be leaving until he somehow talked her out of it. 

“I told him I’m grown now, he can’t control my life forever” Yuqi said, it wasn’t a total lie but it wasn’t the truth either, at the end of the day they were both liars anyways. “Now let’s speed up before we lose it”

“Alright, right behind you!”

Once they're in their seats inside the airplane, sitting next to each other, Yuqi was quick to grab her eye mask so she could sleep, Shuhua decided not to mention the lion pattern on it, the wound was still open it seems and judging by how her new diary had cherries all over it, it wasn’t only Yuqi who still had to deal with the pain.

  
  


_ But if she doesn’t forgive me, Diary. I think that’s fair, I don’t think I would forgive her if the roles were reversed, I’m too selfish for that and I’m well aware of it.  _

_ Also, as I write this it’s likely that Minnie Unnie already found the letter I left in my room before leaving, she doesn’t know Yuqi and I are supposed to leave and I feel bad for going away without saying a proper goodbye, but is for the best and I’m sure it will make Miyeon more comfortable with me far away from Minnie; She asked me to stay away from Minnie and is the least I should do for her after everything.  _

_ Not that I’m moving to another country just to stay far away from Minnie, I think being with my family again will be the best for me, even if the idea of being around my other relatives sounds like hell. It’s enough for now. _

_ I know I will be back some day, when things are less awkward between the six of us, I probably sound like a coward running away instead of insisting on fixing things but I don't want to make the situation even worse; Soyeon can't look at me and Yuqi the same way as before while the whole idea of me living with Minnie makes Miyeon uncomfortable and insecure.  _

_ Soojin acts like I don't exist, which is worse than when she used to hate me, because at least back then I was still someone worth to hate, not the case right now. She just wants to forget what we had, forget that I existed and as much as I hate that I know that is for the best.  _

_ I just wish I had given her the letter I wrote when I had the time. _

_ Well… _

_ New Diary, or whoever is reading this somewhere in the future, it's been a wild ride but I'll have to go now, I need to get some sleep before we leave. _

_ See you later, in Taiwan. _

  
  


**_Yeh Shuhua._ **

  
  
  


**.**

  
  
  
  
  


**.**

  
  
  
  
  


**.**

  
  


"She left!" The Korean Trio looked towards the staircase, watching as Minnie made her way down in panic, Miyeon was the first to approach, confused and worried by her expression. "They both did!" 

"Wait, Who?" Soyeon asked, frowning as she stood up from the couch, Soojin stayed where she was. She already had a feeling of what this was about. 

"Shuhua and Yuqi! They left-" Minnie said, waving the letter that the taiwanesse left on top of her bed, most of her stuff long gone; Minnie felt stupid for leaving her alone when she looked so down, now she was running away again and she was too late to stop her this time. "Shuhua said they'll be in Taiwan'' 

"Where are you going?" Miyeon asked as she watched Minnie start to walk away. 

"I'm going after them-"

"Why?" Soojin then asked. "They probably already left either way, it seems that letter was there for a while" She added, crossing her arms. "They're already on the plane I bet"

"It would just be a waste of time to go after them" Soyeon added and Miyeon stayed in silence ignoring the voice in the back of her head telling her this was her doing, her words pushed Shuhua into doing that and now Minnie doesn't have her closest friends with her anymore. 

As for Minnie, she looked around, shocked how none of them seemed that interested in going after the two youngest, Soyeon was staring at the ground and Soojin wouldn't bother looking at her at all, finding the ceiling more interesting. 

"I'm still trying!" It's all the older said before making her way out, followed by her girlfriend; Soyeon was hesitant, glancing at Soojin who didn't look back, before deciding to follow the other two; The girl stayed on the couch, alone as she hears the sound of the car leaving the garage and probably driving to the nearest airport.

Maybe they need to stay apart, keep their thoughts clean even if Minnie is against it, Shuhua was giving them space, and even if half of her heart was worried she would never see the taiwanesse again, she couldn't bring herself to stand up and go after her, not after what she did, not when she'll always think of Shuhua and remember how she wasn't enough, or when she looks at Minnie and constantly wonder what Minnie has that she doesn't, she feels ruined because of her, she couldn't trust Shuhua anymore, not right now at least; So she wasn't going to stop her from leaving.

  
  


_ It was for the best.  _

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**The End.**

**Author's Note:**

> Pretty short, but just enough to give you guys a taste :)


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